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LAURENCE 


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NEW    NOVELS 

JFrcmk  Cce   ScneMct. 


I.     HER  FRIEND  LAURENCE. 
H.     MADAME. 
HI.     'TWIXT  HAMMER  AND  ANVIL. 


The  London  Spectator  says  :  "  A  new  and  powerful  novel- 
ist has  arisen.    *    *    *    It  is  seldom  that  we  arise 
from  the  perusal  of  a  story  with  the  sen^e  of  ex- 
citement which  Mr.  Benedict  has  produced. 
*    *    *    We  rejoice  to  recognize  a  new 
novelist  of  real  genius,  who   knows 
and   depicts  powerfully    some  of 
the  most  striking  and  over- 
mastering passions  of  the 
human  heart." 


All  published  handsomely  bound  in  cloth.  Price  $1.50each, 
and  sent/ree  by  mail,  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

G.  W.   CARLETON  &  CO.,   PUBLISHERS, 

New  York. 


HER  FRIEND  LAURENCE. 


BY 

FRANK    LEE     BENEDICT, 

AUTHOR  OV 

"MY   DAUGHTER   ELINOR,"   "MISS   VAN   KORTLAND," 
"TWIXT  HAMMER   AND  ANVIL,"   "MADAME," 

ETC.,  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW    YORK: 

G.  W.  Carleton  &  Co.,  Publishers, 

MADISON     SQUARE. 
MDCCCLXXIX. 


COPYRIGHT,  1879, 
BT 

FRANK   LEE   BENEDICT. 


SAMTTK.  STODDBB, 

STEREOTYPER, 
90  ANN  STHEET  N.  Y. 


TROW 

PRINTING  AND  BOOK  Bnn>me  Co. 
N.  Y. 


TO 

THE    VISCONDESSA    DE    STO.    AMAEO 

THE  MOST   APPRECIATIVE  OF  READERS, 
THE    MOST    DISCRIMINATING    OP    CRITICS, 

AND   THE 
WARMEST    OF    FRIENDS. 

AFFECTIONATELY, 

FRANK  LEE  BENEDICT. 

FLORENCE,  ITALY,  May,  1879. 


2072160 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    For  His  Daughter .- 9 

H.     The  Forbidden  Path 18 

HI.     The  Omen 24 

IV.     A  Bouquet  of  Jessamines 38 

V.     Her  First  Visit 48 

VI.     La  Belle  Samaritaine 59 

VII.     Dead  as  Pharaoh 69 

VIII.     His  Discovery 79 

IX.     Her  Coming 90 

X.     Mi-Cargme 99 

XL     Set  Right 108 

XII.     Three-and-Thirty 116 

XIII.  She  Accused  Herself 126 

XIV.  The  Arabic  Lessons 136 

XV.     Announced — "Miss  Danvers " 143 

XVI.     From  America 148 

XVII.     Giulia's  Greek 156 

XVIII.     An  Unwelcome  Confidence 165 

XIX.     Diogcnes's  Advice 180 

XX.     A  Girl's  Troubles 191 

XXI.     Before  the  Pope's  Portrait 202 

XXII.     A  Bold  Stroke 212 

XXHI.     In  the  Studio 222 

XXIV.     Like  Jonah's  Gourd..                                           229 


via  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXV.     Mary's  Resolve 239 

XXVI.     "  The  End  of  Our  Romance  " 246 

XXVH.     Against  Fate 259 

XXVHL     "  She  Said  Good-By  " 272 

XXIX.     A  Morning  Ride 278 

XXX.     Two  Notes 287 

XXXI.     An  Unpleasant  Mission 297 

XXYTT      Gone ! 305 

XXXm.     Christened  Circe 316 

XXXIV.     In  the  Sorceress's  Toils 324 

XXXV.     Each  Blunders 333 

XXXVI.     Her  Last  Effort 340 

XXXVII.     Still  Her  Work  349 

XXXVHI.     For  Whom  He  was  to  Die 361 

XXXIX.     Once  Too  Often .368 

XL.     The  Story  Told. 377 

XLI.     When  Dawn  Broke 388 

XLII.  After  All..                                                             .  400 


HER    FRIEND    LAURENCE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FOR    HIS    DAUGHTER. 

HE  Amaldi  Palace  stands  in  a  small  square,  not 
far  from  the  beautiful  old  church  of  Santa  Maria 
Novella,  fills  up  nearly  one  side  of  the  piazza,  and 
is  stately  enough  to  be  noticeable,  rich  as  Flor- 
ence is  in  picturesque  and  storied  edifices. 
There  are  three  or  four  courts,  and  the  vast  pile  has 
numerous  occupants ;  but  one  quadrangle,  with  its  separate 
entrance,  belongs  to  Violet  Cameron.  She  has  not,  however, 
asserted  her  claims  to  proprietorship  by  giving  her  portion 
of  the  mansion  a  new  name  ;  and  therein,  I  think,  has  shown 
wisdom.  Nowadays,  in  Florence  and  Rome,  the  traveler 
not  unfrequently  finds  historical  dwellings,  which  have  been 
re-christened  under  the  Anglo-Saxon  cognomens  of  their 
present  owners  ;  but  I  cannot  persuade  myself  that  Palazzo 
Sankey  and  Villino  Jenkinson  sound  as  well  as  their  original 
Italian  titles. 

In  the  beginning  of  October,  187-,  Miss  Cameron 
returned  to  Florence,  after  more  than  a  year's  absence,  in- 
tending to  spend  the  rest  of  the  autumn,  and  perhaps  the 
whole  winter,  unless  it  should  prove  one  of  those  hopelessly 
rainy  seasons,  which  the  variable  Tuscan  climate  will  occa- 
sionally disgrace  itself  by  adopting  and  clinging  to  for 
several  consecutive  months. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  after  her  arrival  she 
was  seated  in  her  dressing-room — a  pretty  nook,  with  its 
walls  paneled  in  blue  silk,  the   windows  hung  with  blue 
1*  [9] 


10  FOR    HIS    DAUGHTER. 

and  white  draperies,  and  the  easy-chairs  and  couches  covered 
with  the  faintest  possible  tint  of  azure  velvet.  A  door 
stood  open,  and  showed  a  boudoir,  rich  and  quaint  as  a 
cinque-cento  casket ;  beyond,  other  open  doors  gave  glimpses 
of  a  long  suite  of  apartments,  which  were  the  envy  of  half 
her  acquaintance,  though  to  attempt  a  description  of  the 
various  chambers,  with  their  treasures  of  art  and  virtu, 
would  only  make  this  page  sound  like  ah  auction  catalogue. 

Miss  Cameron  had  drunk  her  coffee,  and  was  indulging  in 
the  luxury  of  complete  idleness,  looking  her  best,  too,  in  an 
undress  which  would  have  been  very  trying  to  many  women 
— a  gown  of  some  dead  white  woolen  stuff,  loosely  confined 
about  the  waist  by  a  broad  ribbon,  and  her  hair  (dark 
auburn,  with  golden  reflections  upon  it)  brushed  back 
from  her  forehead,  and  falling  in  heavy  masses  over  her 
shoulders.  Even  in  that  severely  simple  toilet  and  the 
rigid  truthfulness  of  the  morning  light,  six-and-twenty  was 
the  most  a  close  observer  would  have  assigned  as  her  age  ; 
but  Violet  Cameron  had  counted  three  years  beyond  thirty, 
and  reached  the  era  at  which  her  sex,  as  a  rule,  is  forced  to 
relinquish  all  claims  to  appearing  youthful.  I  think  it  was 
the  indescribable  softness  and  purity  of  her  complexion 
which  kept  her  face  so  young ;  and  even  feminine  critics 
never  tried  to  hint  that  the  delicate  bloom  in  her  cheeks, 
like  the  color  in  the  heart  of  a  wild  rose,  was  not  natural. 

Women  did  say  her  eyes  were  green,  and,  I  believe, 
rightly  ;  but  they  were  nevertheless  wonderfully  beautiful 
eyes,  which  gained  added  depth  from  the  blackness  of  the 
arched  brows,  and  the  lashes. so  long  and  thick  as  to  cast 
that  peculiar  shadow  which  less  fortunate  woinen  are 
obliged  to  supply  by  factitious  aids. 

She  was  too  small  to  be  called  handsome  ;  the  features 
were  too  irregular  for  perfect  beauty  ;  and  her  grace  and 
supreme  elegance  (that  highest  and  most  indefinable  charm) 
rendered  the  term  pretty  inapplicable.  She  seemed  to  have 
caught  certain  characteristics  of  each  of  the  three  types, 
and  Nature  had  managed  the  combination  with  such  skill 
that  the  result  was  a  loveliness  as  unique  as  it  was  indis- 
putable. 

Three-and-thirty  years  of  age,  and  unmarried.  So  I 
must  call  her  my  elderly  heroine,  though,  in  the  presence 
of  her  radiant  fairness,  the  epithet  would  have  become  a 
positively  ludicrous  misnomer. 


FOR    EI8    DAUGHTER.  11 

Miss  Cameron's  meditations  were   interrupted  by  tho 
opening  of  a  door  ;  steps  crossed  the  boudoir  ;  and  a  thin, 
faded  voice,  which  one  would  have  sworn  belonged  to  an 
.  ancient  spinster,  called,  quaveringly  : 

"  Good-morning,  dear  !  May  I  come  in  ?  Excuse  this 
early  visit.  Clarice  said  you  were  up,  and  I  wanted — but 
it  is  a  shame  to  disturb  you " 

"  Pray  come  in  !"  Miss  Cameron  said,  as  the  unseen 
speaker's  sentence  trailed  off  into  a  sigh.  "  I  may  be  un- 
entertaining,  but  I  am  not  dangerous,  I  give  you  my 
word." 

The  portiere  was  pushed  farther  back  by  a  hand  which 
suited  the  voice — long,  bony,  and  uncertain  in  its  move- 
ments; but  it  was  not  until  Miss  Cameron  repeated  her  in- 
vitation that  their  owner  appeared.  She  gave  the  effect  of 
unusual  height,  from  the  fact  that  each  separate  part — 
neck,  waist,  and  limbs — seemed  unduly  elongated;  and  she 
was  so  thin  that  apparently  only  skin  and  bones  had  been 
left  after  that  drawing-out  process. 

Fifty-five  at  least;  tiny  wrinkles,  like  cracks  in  yellow 
porcelain  ;  straggling  cork-screw  curls  ;  a  perpetual  smile  ;  a 
habit  of  carrying  her  head  on  one  side — of  breaking  her 
sentences  with  inexpressibly  irritating  little  gasps — these 
were  Miss  Bronson's  chief  characteristics,  whereto  I  may 
add  a  morbid  taste  in  the  matter  of  faded  pink  bows,  which 
she  had  a  mania  for  pinning  on  every  available  spot,  from 
the  crown  of  her  head  to  the  toes  of  her  slippers. 

"  Good  morning,  Eliza,"  said  Miss  Cameron.  "  I  hope 
you  have  slept  off  the  fatigues  of  the  journey." 

"  Oh,  perfectly  !  And  how  fresh  you  look  !"  with  a 
sigh  so  much  deeper  than  ordinary,  that  Miss  Cameron 
added  : 

"  What  hav.e  you  got  on  your  soul  or  your  conscience  ? 
Something  troubles  you,  I  know.  Your  voice  is  more 
Eolian-harp-like  than  usual." 

"My  love,  I  am  in  a  state  of  such  painful  uncertainty!" 

"  My  love,  people  say  that  is  the  normal  state  of  all  us 
spinsters.  But  sit  down  and  reveal  your  woes.  I  don't  ask 
you  to  weep  on  my  sympathetic  bosom,  but  I  will  do  any- 
thing short  of  drying  tears  to  show  my  tender  interest," 
said  Miss  Cameron,  laughingly. 

Miss  Bronson  seated  herself,  slipped  from  her  arm  into 
her  lap  a  canvas  reticule  worked  with  worsted  flowers  of 


13  FOR    HIS    DAUGHTER. 

such  discordant  hues  that  they  gave  her  friend  a  sensation 
like  incipient  sea-sickness,  and  shook  her  head  pensively. 

"  Are  you  carrying  your  trouble  in  that  preposterous 
bag?"  Miss  Cameron  asked.  "It  is  ugly  enough  to  hold 
all  the  ills  of  Pandora's  box,  though  Hope  would  die  in  dis- 
gust if  shut  up  there." 

"  I  declare,  ray  dear,  you  are  as  witty  as  a  play  ;  but  I 
don't  know — is  it  now — at  least  among  foreigners " 

"  What,  in  the  name  of  goodness  ?" 

"  Exactly  the  thing  to  talk  so  differently  from  every- 
body else,"  sighed  Miss  Bronson.  "  Please  don't  be 
offended  at  my  mentioning  it,  but  several  times  people 
have  said  to  me,  they  should  know  you  were  an  American 
just  by  your  conversation." 

"  I  hope  so  !  I  don't  propose  to  cultivate  stupidity  for 
the  sake  of  being  supposed  a  native  of  some  other  country. 
Perhaps,  too,  I  talk  through  my  nose." 

"Oh  no!     You  have  nothing  of  the  nasal  intonation." 

"  Do  say  twang,  Eliza  !  We  are  not  school-mistresses 
any  longer,  and  there  is  no  necessity  for  using  long  words," 
said  Miss  Cameron,  laughing  outright. 

"I  wish  you  would  not  speak  so  often  of  having  been  a 
schoolmisti'ess,"  expostulated  Miss  Bronson  ;  "  it  does  not 
matter  for  me,  but  with  your  wealth  and  beauty " 

"  My  dear,  the  wealth  gives  me  the  privilege  of  saying 
what  I  please  !  I  am  proud  of  having  been  a  school- 
ma'am  !  Why,  I  should  be  heartily  ashamed  of  myself  if 
I  had  always  led  as  useless  a  life  as  I  do  now  !  I  am  very 
doubtful  whether  fate  did  me  any  kindness  in  putting  an 
end  to  my  drudgery.  Good  heavens  !  ten  years  gone  since 
then — and  I  meant  to  have  done  so  much  !  And  here  I  am 
thirty-three,  and  have  accomplished  literally  nothing  !" 

"You  know  what  French  people  say — .'  that  a  woman 
in  reality  lias  only  the  age  she  looks,'  "  said  Eliza,  glancing 
in  the  mirror  as  if  to  determine  how  many  years  this  privi- 
lege would  take  off  her  own  record. 

1  "  French  people  have  talked  nonsense  in  regard  to 
women  since  the  foundation  of  the  Gallic  empire  "  ("  Er- 
roneously declared  by  many  authors  to  have  begun  with 
Charlemagne,"  parenthesized  Miss  Bronson),  "  and  will 
continue  to  do  so  until  the  day  of  Judgment,  whenever 
they  began,"  pursued  Miss  Cameron.  "But  never  mind 


13 

my  age,  or  the  follies  of  the  Gauls  :  what  secret  have  you 
got  shut  up  there?" 

At  this  reminder  of  her  errand,  the  spinster  made  a 
sudden  nervous  movement  which  sent  several  sealed  en- 
velopes flying  out  of  the  reticule. 

"  Ugh  !  1  was  right  to  compare  the  thing  to  Pandora's 
box  !"  shivered  Miss  Cameron.  She  stooped  to  pick  up  two 
of  the  epistles  which  had  fluttered  close  to  her  chair, 
adding,  in  the  playfully  teasing  way  whereby  she  often 
perplexed  poor  Eliza  :  "They  are  for  me  !  Why  were  you 
hiding  my  correspondence  in  your  sack  ?  If  you  mean  to 
turn  postman  I  shall  buy  you  a  uniform." 

"Oh — oh!  don't  look — wait  till  I  explain  !"  cried  the 
antique  virgin  despairingly,  as  her  friend  was  about  to  open 
the  envelopes.  "  Please  don't  look  !" 

Miss  Cameron  laid  the  missives  down  and  watched  the 
spinster  execute  a  kind  of  weird  waltz,  which  was  rather 
like  a  caricature  of  Dinorah's  Shadow-dance. 

"  This  is  exceedingly  mysterious,"  she  said  ;  "  even  awe- 
inspiring  !" 

"My  dear,"  continued  Miss  Bronson,  as  soon  as  she 
reached  the  speaking  stage  of  her  eccentric  exercise,  "I  have 
a  message  which  is,  so  to  speak,  a  key  to  the  whole  matter." 

"  Then  pray  give  me  the  key,  else  I  shall  force  the  lock," 
returned  Miss  Cameron,  with  a  glance  towards  the  letters, 
which  caused  Eliza  to  dance  anew. 

"  One  moment — I  wanted  to  break  it " 

"I  hate  broken  news  as  I  do  broken  china,"  interrupted 
Miss  Cameron.  "  Pray  give  it  to  me  entire,  whatever  it  may 
be.  If  it  cornes  in  fragments  it  will  be  sure  to  excoriate  my 
temper,  just  as  broken  china  would  my  fingers." 

"You  make  me  laugh  so  !  He  !  he  !  ha  !  ha  !"  And,  as 
a  proof  that  her  merriment  was  heart-felt,  Miss  Bronson 
began  to  cry. 

Any  person  unaccustomed  to  the  spinster's  vagaries  would 
either  have  been  alarmed  or  ready  to  shake  her  from  sheer 
impatience,  but  experience  had  taught  Miss  Cameron  that 
emotion  of  any  soi't  in  the  presence  of  Eliza's  small  agita- 
tions was  usually  emotion  wasted,  for,  as  a  rule,  the  slighter 
the  cause,  the  more  force  she  put  into  her  demonstrations. 
So  now  her  friend  only  said,  composedly: 

"  You  will  tell  me  when  you  can." 

"Yes — I — wanted  to  break — ""  sobbed  Eliza  :  then  travc 


14  FOR    HIS    DAUGHTER. 

a  great  gulp  and  burst  out,  "  Your  cousin  George  Danvers 
is  dead." 

Miss  Cameron  changed  color,  put  lier  hand  over  her 
eyes,  and  remained  silent  for  a  few  seconds,  during  which 
Eliza  sat  choking  behind  her  pocket-handkerchief,  and  by 
the  time  she  emerged  from  its  depths  Miss  Cameron  had 
resumed  her  former  attitude. 

"  He  died  to  me  so  many  years  since  that  I  cannot  pre- 
tend to  be  deeply  affected,"  she  said,  in  a  voice  which  was 
awed  rather  than  saddened.  "  If  he  can  see  me — or  cares 
to  see — he  is  certain  that  I  have  no  hard  feeling  towards 
him.  Once  I  thought  I  could  never  say  this,  but  I  can  now, 
freely." 

"  Oh,  my  dear,  that  is  like  you  !  But  only  think — he 
had  lost  his  fortune — every  penny.  His  daughter  is  left 
absolutely  destitute." 

"  Do  you  know,  I  had  forgotten  he  had  a  daughter," 
returned  Miss  Cameron,  with  a  little  wonder  in  her  tone. 
<l  That  shows  me  how  completely  I  had  put  him  and  his  out 
of  my  mind  !  Yes,  he  had  a  daughter — she  must  be 
eighteen.  His  wife  died  ?" 

"To  be  sure  ;  and  he  married  again.  It  seems  the  poor 
girl  and  her  stepmother  are  not  good  friends — oh  !  his 
letter  is  heart-breaking  !" 

"  lie  wrote  to  you  ?" 

"  And  to  you,"  said  Eliza,  pointing  towards  the  epistles 
on  the  table.  "  Only  think  !  they  have  been  lying  here 
more  than  a  month  ;  and  oh,  he  does  so  plead — it  would 
soften  a  stone  !  The  wife  can  go  to  her  relations — but  the 
unfortunate  girl  will  not  be  received  by  them " 

"  I  think  the  quickest  way  to  make  me  understand  the 
whole  matter  will  be  to  let  me  read  the  explanations," 
Miss  Cameron  interrupted,  with  a  mildness  which  spoke 
volumes  for  her  powers  of  self-restraint.  "  Give  me  your 
letter  first,  please." 

Eliza  declared  that  she  had  already  done  so,  and  was  as- 
tounded when  accused  of  guarding  it  still  in  her  Pandora's 
box.  She  handed  out  a  packet  of  cough  lozenges,  then  a 
roll  of  knitting,  then  a  receipted  hotel-bill — insisting  wildly 
that  each  article  in  turn  was  the  required  epistle,  and  weep- 
ing bitterly  all  the  while.  Finally,  Miss  Cameron  took 
ssion  of  the  bag  and  turned  its  multifarious  contents 
upon  the  table.  Eliza  shrieked  over  the  confusion  her 


FOR    HIS    DAUGHTER.  15 

friend  was  making,  but  Miss  Cameron  did  not  heed  her 
distress.  She  found  the  document  at  length,  and  said  : 

"  You  can  pick  up  the  things  while  I  am  reading. 
Please  don't  speak  to  me  till  I  have  finished  ;  I  am  so  dull 
that  I  can  only  attend  to  one  thing  at  a  time  ;"  which  was 
as  near  a  reproof  as  she  ever  went  in  her  dealings  with  his 
sometimes  troublesome  daughter  of  Vesta. 

Eliza  began  collecting  her  treasures,  and  Miss  Cameron 
read  the  letter  through,  then  observed  calmly  : 

"  What  a  miserable  opinion  the  poor  man  had  of  human 
nature  up  to  the  very  last,  since  he  thought  it  necessary  to 
write  you  this  piteous  appeal  to  try  and  touch  my  hard 
heart." 

"  Oh,  my  dear,  he  felt  he  had  wronged  you  so  ter- 
ribly !" 

"  And  he  supposed  I  would  be  unforgiving.  It  was 
natural,  no  doubt,  for  him  to  fear  that,  since  in  my  case  he 
would  have  been " 

"But  the  poor  girl?     And  he  is  gone  where " 

Miss  Cameron  held  up  her  hand  and  finished  the  sen- 
tence thus  : 

"  Where  the  things  of  this  world  must  look  very  unim- 
portant, since  they  do  so  to  us  ten  years  after  their  hap- 
pening, however  weighty  they  seemed  at  the  time." 

Miss  Bronson  feared  that  the  assertion  sounded  sadly 
unorthodox,  and  went  out  of  the  room  in  silence;  partly  be- 
cause she  perceived  it  would  be  cruel  to  inflict  further  com- 
panionship on  Violet,  partly  to  meditate  over  this  speed), 
and  prepare  herself  to  convict  her  friend,  in  case  conscu-m-e 
and  certain  old  Calvinistic  writers,  in  whose  gloomy 
polemics  she  had  a  faith  which  we  will  hope  is  rare  in  our 
day,  should  decide  that  the  sentiment  savored  of  heresy. 

Miss  Cameron  examined  her  letters,  opening  first  the 
epistle  from  George  Danvers — the  utterance  of  a  dying 
man;  and,  as  such,  according  to  the  creeds  in  which  we 
have  all  been  reared,  a  communication  to  be  received  with 
solemn  respect. 

An  odd  thought  crossed  Violet  Cameron's  mind  as  she 
read — one  which  others  of  us  have  had  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances, and  been  startled  thereby,  because  so  utterly 
opposed  to  our  theories — namely,  why,  because  the  man 
A\as  dying,  should  any  particular  weight  attach  to  his  re- 
quest ? 


16  FOR    HIS    DAUGHTER. 

Fathers,  on  their  death-beds,  ask  pledges  of  their  chil- 
dren, which  must  fetter  those  children  for  years;  husbands 
beg  wives  never  to  marry;  wives  entreat  husbands  not  to 
wed  some  particular  woman.  Having  received  the  desired 
promises,  the  departing  spirits  go  tranquilly  out  of  the 
world — go  away,  we  believe,  to  an  existence  fuller  of  frui- 
tion than  this,  to  a  happiness  of  which  happiness  here  can 
give  no  conception — certainly  not  regretting  the  friends 
they  have  left,  else  they  could  not  find  peace  even  in 
heaven — living  new  lives,  untrammeled  by  any  duty  to  their 
mourners  on  earth,  who  are  considered  worse  than  heathens 
if  they  fail  to  obey  every  wish  of  the  dead,  however  un- 
reasonable, however  difficult,  or,  indeed,  impracticable,  the 
changes  of  this  mortal  sphere  may  render  such  obedience. 
Violet  indulged  this  i-eflection  ;  then  was  a  little  shocked  ; 
then  thought  herself  silly  for  being  so.  But  George  Dan- 
vers  had  asked  nothing  which  she  deemed  unreasonable  or 
shrank  from  granting. 

Miss  Cameron's  widowed  father  had  died  soon  after 
her  seventeenth  birthday.  George  Danvers  settled  his 
estate.  The  orphan  was  declared  penniless,  but  the  execu- 
tor speedily  became  wealthy.  A  few  people  suspected  him 
of  cheating.  Violet  felt  assured  of  his  guilt  ;  for  her 
father,  during  his  brief  illness,  had  shown  her  that  the 
property  he  left  (consisting  of  large  coal  and  iron  mines), 
though  involved,  would  afford  her  an  ample  income,  if 
matters  were  honestly  and  wisely  conducted. 

She  had  refused  to  become  a  pensioner  on  her  relative's 
bounty,  and  had  told  him  her  certainty  that  he  was  a  rob- 
ber. He  had  grossly  defrauded — he  admitted  this  in  his 
letter — but  he  had  always  meant  to  right  her  when  he 
should  grow  rich  enough  !  Now  death  stood  near  ;  a  sud- 
den financial  crisis  had  ruined  him  ;  and  in  all  the  world 
there  was  no  human  being  to  whom  he  could  appeal  in  his 
daughter's  behalf,  save  to  the  cousin  whom  he  had  so  deep- 
ly wronged. 

The  stepmother  wrote,  just  after  her  husband's  death, 
a  letter  full  of  complaints  and  self-commiseration.  Her 
own  fortune  had  been  swallowed  up,  and  she  could  not  ask 
her  relations  to  burden  themselves  with  the  care  of  a  girl 
who,  ever  since  her  father's  second  marriage — an  event 
which  had  occurred  some  six  years  previous — had  plainly 


FOR    HIS    DAUGHTER.  17 

shown  that  she  considered  his  new  wife  and  her  connections 
interlopers  and  foes. 

The  third  letter  was  from  the  orphan,  Mary  Danvers, 
written  still  later — girlish,  highflown,  but  not  a  bad  letter 
by  any  means — its  whole  tenor  proving  her  ignorance  of 
the  causes  which  had  separated  the  cousins  for  so  many 
years. 

Miss  Cameron  recollected  that,  owing  to  the  long  delay, 
the  poor  child  might  have  suffered  torments  worse  than 
those  of  purgatory  ;  at  least,  no  more  time  should  be  lost. 
She  prepared  a  telegram  for  her  lawyer  in  New  York,  tell- 
ing him  how  and  where  to  communicate  with  Mary  Danvers, 
and  promising  letters  by  the  next  steamer  ;  though,  if  any 
suitable  escort  offered  before  their  arrival,  the  young  lady 
might  start  on  her  voyage.  This  done  she  wrote  to  him 
and  to  George's  daughter ;  and,  as  she  finished,  Eliza 
Bronson  appeared  again,  with  her  eyes  and  nose  in  a  pitiable 
state,  and  her  doubts  in  regard  to  Miss  Cameron's  heresy 
still  unsettled. 

"  Read  these,  Eliza,"  said  Violet,  holding  out  the  epis- 
tles. 

The  spinster  slowly  perused  the  two,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Really,  dear,  you  are  almost  an  angel,  if  only  you 
wouldn't  give  in  to  foreign  carelessness  about  spending 
Sunday  !" 

"  Please  have  the  dispatch  sent  at  once,  and  the  letters 
put  in  the  post,"  said  Miss  Cameron.  "  And  just  call 
Clarice.  I  shall  go  for  a  ride.  The  air  will  do  me  good." 

"  Yes,"  Miss  Bronson  assented  ;  but  her  tone  and  man- 
ner showed  that  she  still  had  a  weight  on  her  mind,  and 
desired  to  be  questioned. 

"  What  is  it  ?"  Miss  Cameron  asked,  resignedly. 

"About — about  mourning.     Shall  you  put  on  black?" 

"  No,"  Miss  Cameron  replied,  without  hesitation. 

"  My  dear,  that  will  look  so  odd  !  Everybody  does  it 
for  a  few  weeks — say  six,  if  not  a  very  near  relative." 

"  George  Danvers  has  already  been  dead  almost  two 
months,"  said  Miss  Cameron.  "  To  go  into  black  now 
would  only  be  exposing  myself  to  hear  and  answer  the 
same  question  forty  times  each  day  for  the  next  fort- 
night." 

"  Yes,  but  custom,  my  dear — custom  !" 


18  THE    FORBIDDEN   PATH. 

"  Since  people  do  not  know  what  has  happened,  their 
prejudices  cannot  be  shocked." 

"  Very  well  !"  sighed  Miss  Bronson. 

"  Eliza,"  said  her  friend,  coldly,  "  when  my  father  died, 
I  was  so  poor  that  I  could  not  buy  mourning.  Do  you 
think  it  fitting  I  should  adopt  it  for  his — for  George 
Danvers  ?" 

"  I — I — perhaps  not,"  murmured  the  spinster. 

Miss  Cameron  went  into  her  bedroom.  By  the  time 
Eliza  had  reached  the  boudoir,  she  called  : 

"  I  dare  say  you  are  right !  I  will  wear  white  and 
lavender  and  gray  for  a  few  weeks.  Now  I  hope  your  con- 
science is  at  rest." 

Miss  Bronson  wept  again,  and  retired,  so  satisfied  in 
every  particular,  that  she  could  not  have  been  more  com- 
placent had  they  just  heard  of  a  wedding  instead  of  a 
death. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE   FORBIDDEN    PATH. 

ISS  CAMERON  mounted  her  horse  and  rode  off 
into  the  Cascine,  finding  the  lovely  wood  de- 
serted, as  it  usually  is,  save  for  an  hour  or  two 
before  sunset. 

Away  to  the  right,  Fiesole  and  its  range  of 
blue  hills,  glorious  with  sunshine,  shut  in  the  view  ;  on  the 
left,  through  the  aisles  of  trees,  Violet  caught  glimpses  of 
the  Arno  and  the  plain  beyond.  A  low  bi-eeze  sang  among 
the  branches  like  a  harp  accompaniment  to  the  songs  of  the 
birds — the  sky  was  a  vast  dome  of  turquoise,  flecked  here 
and  there  with  opal  clouds — and,  in  spite  of  her  grave  pre- 
occupation, the  beauty  of  the  scene  did  not  escape  Miss 
Cameron's  eyes.  She  loved  nature,  as  she  did  everything 
else  beautiful,  with  a  genuine  love,  and  Italy  possessed  for 
her  that  peculiar  attraction  which  it  must  have  for  all  im- 
aginative people.  She  was  given  to  day-dreams,  which, 
had  she  transcribed  them,  might  have  made  her  known  as  a 
poet ;  but  she  never  thought  of  doing  this — they  were  her 


THE    FORBIDDEN   PATH.  19 

chief  treasures,  which  she  liked  to  keep  sacred  between 
herself  and  her  soul.  She  had  learned  to  guard  her  secret 
when  in  girlhood  life  suddenly  assumed  an  aspect  so  bald 
and  commonplace  that  she  fostered  this  visionary  faculty 
in  order  to  forget  now  and  then  the  coldness  and  closeness 
of  existence.  A  governess  inclined  to  dreams  would  be  a 
lusus  naturce  intolerable  to  parents  or  the  wise  heads  of 
scholastic  institutions,  and  Violet's  fancies  were  not  allowed 
to  interfere  with  the  conscientious  fulfillment  of  her  duties. 

In  the  early  days  she  had  been  forced  to  struggle  hard 
for  patience — had  felt  like  a  caged  bird — as  if  she  must  die 
if  relief  did  not  come.  But  by  degrees  she  conquered  that 
restlessness,  gradually  grew  accustomed  to  the  routine  and 
restraint,  and,  if  not  happy,  perhaps  as  nearly  reached  con- 
tentment as  youth  often  does. 

Violet  did  not  remember  her  mother  ;  when  she  was  a 
little  child  Miss  Bronson  had  been  selected  for  her  gov- 
erness, who,  if  not  a  woman  of  powerful  intellect,  was  at 
least  well-informed,  prudent,  and  loved  her  charge  most 
tenderly. 

When  orphanage  and  poverty  overtook  Violet,  Miss 
Bronson  would  gladly  have  toiled  for  and  supported  her, 
but  this  the  girl  would  not  permit,  so  Eliza  obtained  situa- 
tions for  both  in  a  boarding-school  where  she  had  herself 
been  educated.  Violet,  at  first  received  as  a  pupil-teacher, 
rose  rapidly  in  rank  till,  before  her  season  of  toil  ended, 
she  stood  next  to  the  stately  lady  who  ruled  in  those  halls 
of  Minerva,  and  the  destiny  to  which  my  heroine  had 
looked  forward  was  of  one  day  becoming  mistress  of  the 
establishment. 

The  change  to  her  present  position  had  arrived  as  unex- 
pectedly as  the  tempest  which  at  her  father's  death  flung 
her  from  luxury  into  want — it  possessed,  too,  a  certain  halo 
of  romance. 

During  a  summer  vacation  she  accompanied  one  of  the 
scholars  to  her  home,  and  there  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
a  gentleman  who  had  known  her  parents.  Mr.  Goring  was 
no  longer  young — a  widower,  and  standing  very  much  alone 
in  the  world.  He  fell  in  love  with  the  beautiful  gov- 
erness, and  her  friends  thought  her  insane  to  decline  his 
hand.  Reason  and  common-sense  urged  her  to  accept,  but, 
at  the  end  of  the  six  months'  probation  he  had  begged,  she 
definitely  refused  his  offer.  It  was  hard  to  cast  aside  the 


20  THE    FORBIDDEN    PATH. 

future  which  showed  so  bright  in  contrast  to  her  surround- 
ings— harder  to  give  him  pain,  for  his  whole  heart  centered 
in  his  plea.  But,  to  her  mind,  a  marriage  unsanctified  by 
love — love  so  strong  that  it  could  work  miracles — became 
a  bartering  of  body  and  soul,  from  which  she  recoiled  with 
unutterable  loathing.  Other  women,  feeling  the  respect 
and  esteem  which  she  felt,  might  have  accepted — been  right 
in  so  doing  :  to  her  it  was  simply  impossible. 

Eighteen  months  later  Mr.  Goring  died  in  Brazil,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  legacies  to  his  dead  wife's  relatives — 
he  had  none  of  his  own — bequeathed  his  vast  fortune  to 
Violet  Cameron.  There  would  be  nothing  specially  inter- 
esting in  the  records  of  the  ensuing  decade,  looking  back 
from  which  the  old  workaday  epoch  seemed  strangely  un- 
real. It  had  passed  as  it  might  have  been  expected  to  do 
with  a  woman  rich,  beautiful,  and  unmarried — save  in  one 
particular  :  nothing  like  love  had  touched  her  heart — not 
so  much  as  a  brief  fancy  which  she  could  weave  an  idyl 
over.  She  had  lived  in  the  world,  been  surrounded  by  ad- 
mirers ;  but  no  voice  from  any  man's  soul  had  possessed 
power  to  waken  a  response  in  hers. 

Even  women  never  thought  of  setting  her  down  any- 
where near  her  age  ;  if  she  told  it  to  some  confidant  she 
was  not  believed,  and  Eliza  Bronson,  exaggeratedly  scrupu- 
lous in  general,  burdened  her  conscience  with  many  pre- 
varications to  prevent  such  possibility. 

That  she  had  gone  so  many  years  beyond  all  claim  to 
girlhood  appeared  inconceivable  to  Violet  herself,  even 
when  she  laughingly  adopted  the  title  of  old  maid.  She 
was  as  young  in  her  feelings  as  her  face — naturally  enough, 
too,  since  love,  life's  profoundest  mystery,  remained  only  a 
name  and  a  dream. 

Violet  rode  on  more  and  more  rapidly,  trying  to  forget 
the  hosts  of  perplexed,  inexplicable  fancies  which  beset 
her,  following  in  the  wake  of  the  recollections  roused  by 
George  Danvers's  letter.  She  turned  her  horse  so  abruptly 
down  one  of  the  side  alleys  that  she  nearly  exterminated  a 
gentleman  who  had  just  emerged  into  it  from  the  recesses 
of  the  wood. 

They  caught  sight  of  each  other  at  the  same  instant. 
The  gentleman  sprang  aside,  and  Miss  Cameron  reined  in 
her  steed  so  suddenly  that  she  sent  him  back  on  his 
haunches.  She  received  a  somewhat  reproachful  glance 


THE    FORBIDDEN    PATH.  21 

from  the  stranger,  then  Selim  engaged  her  attention,  for, 
offended  at  the  unexpected  and  vigorous  check,  he  began 
to  stand  on  his  hind  legs  and  perform  antics  more  like 
those  of  a  trained  horse  in  a  circus  than  was  agreeable  to 
his  rider. 

Her  narrowly-escaped  victim  stood  watching  the  ex- 
hibition, no  doubt  with  the  intention  of  coming  to  her  aid 
if  assistance  should  prove  necessary ;  but  in  a  very  few 
seconds  she  convinced  Selim  that  wisdom  would  dictate  a 
return  to  his  duty  and  the  legitimate  use  of  his  limbs. 
Violet  was  about  to  speak  some  words  of  apology  and 
hurry  on,  when  she  dropped  her  whip,  which  the  gentleman 
picked  up,  and  she,  sufficiently  vexed  with  herself  and 
Selim  to  be  unreasonable,  hastily  decided  that  even  the 
ceremonious  lifting  of  the  stranger's  hat  conveyed  a  fresh 
reproach. 

Of  course  she  could  do  no  less  than  offer  her  thanks, 
and,  as  she  looked  full  at  him,  she  perceived  her  blunder  ; 
the  dullest  woman  living  could  not  have  mistaken  the 
expression  in  his  face  for  anything  save  wondering  and 
respectful  admiration.  Still  she  could  not  resist  saying  : 

"  I  must  beg  your  pardon.  I  ought  not  to  have  ridden 
so  fast  round  the  corner  ;  but  it  is  very  unsafe  for  any  per- 
son to  walk  in  these  alleys,  meant  only  for  equestrians." 

lie  smiled  slightly,  still  he  did  smile,  and  evidently  in 
amusement  at  her  neatly-combined  apology  and  reproof. 

"  The  next  turning  is  the  one  the  signora  should  have 
taken,"  he  said,  with  a  bow.  As  he  spoke  he  pointed  to  a 
signboard  at  the  side  of  the  road,  and  Violet  read  thereon, 
printed  in  very  legible  characters  and  in  two  languages, 
"  Peri  pedoni — for  foot-passengers." 

"  It  seems  I  was  in  the  wrong  every  way.  Pardon 
again,"  she  said  ;  and,  to  make  matters  worse,  she  felt  her- 
self coloring  like  a  school-girl. 

Her  groom  rode  up  at  this  juncture,  and  repeated  the 
announcement  that  his  mistress  had  strayed  into  forbidden 
paths  ;  but  Violet  urged  Selim  on,  and  the  groom  was 
obliged  to  follow,  and  her  haste  lost  her  the  slight  satisfac- 
tion of  hearing  that  the  guardians  of  the  wood  might  bear 
a  portion  of  the  blame  for  removing  the  bar  which  ought 
to  have  obstructed  the  route.  The  gentleman  went  his 
way  and  Miss  Cameron  went  hers — or  the  way  not  hers  by 


23  TUE    FORBIDDEN    PATH. 

right — and  of  course  both  took  with  them  some  thought  of 
the  brief  encounter. 

Violet  had  spoken  in  Italian,  and  the  stranger  had 
replied  in  the  same  tongue,  but  her  trained  ear  caught  a 
foreign  accent. 

"  Not  English,  however,"  was  her  reflection.  "  He 
looked  like  some  of  those  handsome  men  one  sees  in 
Athens.  No  doubt  he  is  a  Greek — a  worthless  race  as  a 
rule  ;  and  I  would  wager  anything  he  is  no  exception." 

As  for  the  gentleman,  his  meditations,  conducted  in  the 
same  language  as  her  own,  ran  somewhat  in  this  fashion  : 

"  What  a  superb  creature  !  However,  I  dare  say  she 
never  looked  so  well  before  and  never  will  again  !  Diffi- 
cult to  make  that  woman  turn  back,  whatever  path  she  had 
started  on.  How  old  ?  Not  a  young  miss,  certainly — five- 
and-twenty  perhaps.  How  vexed  she  tried  to  be  with  me 
just  because  herself  in  the  wrong  !  However,  it  was  like  a 
woman — like  anything  human,  for  that  matter,  though  we 
men  always  pretend  to  think  such  little  errors  are  monop- 
olized by  the  softer  sex." 

Miss  Cameron  reached  home  for  the  twelve-o'clock 
breakfast,  and  found  a  note  from  a  friend  awaiting  her. 

"You  dearest,  wickedest,  most  delightful  of  creatures  ! — 
Carlo  heard  last  night  of  your  arrival.  If  you  meant  to  let 
the  day  pass  without  sending  me  word,  don't  admit  the  fact, 
else  I  never,  never  will  forgive  you  !  We  are  out  at  the 
villa.  I  am  literally  tied  fast  by  the  foot,  or  ankle,  which  I 
managed  to  sprain  a  week  ago  with  an  awkwardness  that 
merited  the  punishment  it  received.  Half  a  dozen  people — 
only  among  the  nicest  of  our  set — are  coming  this  evening 
to  condole  with  me;  be  sure  to  brighten  us  by  adding 
yourself  to  the  number.  As  a  reward  I  will  present  two  or 
three  charming  new  men — only  you  are  a  hard-hearted 
wretch,  and  this  will  be  no  inducement. 

"  But  come  at  all  events,  that  I  may  hate  you  for  having 
grown  more  beautiful  and  bewitching  than  ever,  as  every- 
body who  met  you  last  winter  says  you  have.  The  idea  of 
your  stopping  so  long  away  from  our  dear  Florence,  where 
we  are  all  as  charming  and  sinful  as  usual,  and  adore  you  as 
you  do  not  deserve  to  be  adored,  icicle  of  a  barbarian  that 
you  are,  and  nobody  more  devoted  than  your  affectionate 

"NiNA  MAGNOLETTI." 


THE    FORBIDDEN    PA  TIT.  23 

Then  followed  a  long  postscript,  which  carried  the  note 
into  the  middle  of  a  second  sheet,  and  still  left  some  bit  of 
wonderful  news  unfinished — the  whole  written  in  graceful 
French,  though  apparently  a  sp'ider's  leg  had  been  employed 
as  a  pen — caressing,  careless,  decousu ;  in  short,  a  letter 
very  characteristic  of  its  writer,  a  pretty  little  Russian, 
who  several  years  previous  had  gilded  afresh  one  of  the  old 
Florentine  titles  with  her  roubles,  carrying  a  heart  into  the 
transaction  and  receiving  one  in  return,  which  she  still 
owned,  in  spite  of  numerous  temporary  aberrations  on  the 
part  of  its  original  proprietor. 

"I  shall  go  to  Nina's  to-night,"  Miss  Cameron  said  to 
Eliza,  more  thoughtful  of  her  old  friend  than  Madame 
Magnoletti  had  been.  "  I  don't  ask  you  to  go  with  me 
because  I  know  you  are  tired,  and  besides,  they  are  sure  to 
play  baccarat,  and  that  always  shocks  your  scruples." 

"  My  dear,  do  not  call  them  scruples." 

"  Your  morality,  then — any  fine-sounding  name  you 
please." 

This  was  said  late  in  the  day,  as  the  two  were  driving 
in  the  Cascine. 

"  It  is  too  early  to  expect  Florentines  to  be  back  from 
their  villeggiatura,  but  I  see  quite  a  number,  and  a  good 
many  foreigners,"  pursued  Miss  Cameron,  as  they  ap- 
proached the  open  space  where  it  is  the  habit  for  carriages 
to  halt  ;  a  habit  formed  in  the  days  when  a  band  played 
there,  and  people  stopped  under  pretense  of  listening  to  the 
music — a  thing  nobody  ever  did  by  any  chance.  Then  she 
added  hastily,  "  Oh,  that  horrid  Greek  !" 

"  What  horrid  Greek  ?"  asked  Eliza. 

"  I  don't  know,  and  I  don't  want  to  !  I  nearly  demol- 
ished him  this  morning,  and  he  was  so  exasperatingly  polite 
that  I  hate  him." 

"  That  gentleman  on  the  gray  horse  ?  Why,  he  is  not 
horrid  at  all  !  What  a  very  elegant  man  !" 

"  He  shall  be  Adonis  if  you  choose,  but  I  hate  him  all 
the  same  !  For  mercy's  sake  don't  look  that  way  ;  he  will 
know  I  have  been  telling  you  ;  he  is  capable  of  bowing. 
Those  Greeks  are  equal  to  any  impertinence." 

"  Did  he  tell  you  he  was  a  Greek  ?"  asked  the  literal 
Eliza. 

"  Good  heavens  !  Do  you  suppose  I  stopped  to  inquire 
into  his  history  and  antecedents  ?  No  doubt  they  would 


24  THE    OMEN. 

form  a  sweet  tale  for  virginal  ears  to  listen  to  !  Eliza, 
Eliza  !  I  begin  to  fear  that  foreign  wickedness  has  contam- 
inated you  !  I  shall  send  you  back  to  America  to  recover 
your — what  shall  I  call  it  ? — moral  tone.  Now  that,  I 
think,  is  a  fine  phrase  !"  . 

"  You  make  me  laugh  so,  that  you  put  everything  out 
of  my  head  !"  cried  Eliza,  as  soon  as  she  could  recover  her 
gravity.  "  Did  you  nearly  run  over  him  ?  Do  tell  me 
about  it,"  for  the  spinster  dearly  loved  anything  in  the 
shape  of  a  romance. 

Violet  was  spared  answering  ;  the  victoria  had  stopped, 
and  was  immediately  surrounded  by  a  group  of  men  eager 
to  welcome  the  heiress,  and  Eliza  received  a  share  of  the 
superabundant  compliments,  since  she  lived  near  the  rose, 
and  her  good  opinion  might  be  of  value.  But  she  did  not 
forget  the  stranger,  and  suddenly  said  in  English  to  Miss 
Cameron  : 

"  There  he  is  again  !  Such  a  melancholy  face  ;  it  is 
quite  attractive  !  Just  ask  his  name " 

"  I  would  not  hear  it  for  the  world,"  interrupted  Violet; 
"  don't  I  tell  you  I  hate  the  man  !  You  dreadful  woman, 
showing  an  improper  interest  in  a  depraved  Greek  !" 

A  fresh  invasion  of  admirers  claimed  Miss  Cameron's 
attention,  and  Eliza  herself  was  so  engrossed  that  she  had 
no  opportunity  to  gain  any  information  concerning  Violet's 
enemy,  for  when  she  recollected  him,  and  turned  to  get 
another  glance,  the  gray  horse  and  its  rider  had  disap- 
peared. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   OMEN. 

ISS  CAMERON  did  not  reach  the  Magnoletti 
villa  until  rather  late,  and  she  found  madame's 
"half-dozen"  friends  increased  to  several  times 
that  number,  who, with  invitation  or  without,  had 
presented  themselves. 
In  one  room  there   was   music — in  another  men,   and 
women  too,  were  playing  baccarat,  and  the  pretty  hostess 


THE    OMEN.  25 

reclined  on  a  sofa  in  the  center  salon,  arrayed  as  an  invalid 
in  the  most  becoming  costume  imaginable. 

o  o 

She  received  Violet  with  rapturous  greetings,  and  made 
her  sit  down  beside  the  couch,  about  which  gathered  knots 
of  people  anxious  to  renew  their  acquaintance  with  the 
beautiful  American  ;  but  after  a  while  the  two  friends 
were  left  more  at  liberty,  and  able,  in  the  intervals  of 
general  conversation,  to  exchange  notes  upon  matters 
which  possessed  a  personal  interest. 

In  the  midst  of  some  story  madame  was  relating  she 
noticed  Miss  Cameron  start  and  turn  uneasily  in  her  chair. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  she  asked. 

"  I  don't  know,"  Violet  replied  carelessly,  though  shiver- 
ing from  head  to  foot.  "  A  sudden  chill,  as  if  somebody 
were  walking  over  my  grave  :  you  remember  our  senseless 
English  saying?" 

"Yes,"  rejoined  the  marchesa.  "But  it  is  not  senseless 
— I  believe  in  it !  I  am  dreadfully  superstitious,  like  any 
true  Russian." 

"  You  are  a  dear  little  Muscovite  goose — no,  duck  !" 
said  Violet,  trying  to  laugh,  but  unable  to  subdue  the 
singular  nervous  trembling. 

Nina  laughed  with  the  same  apparent  effort ;  she  was 
startled  by  her  friend's  change  of  color,  and  the  troubled 
expression  in  her  eyes. 

"  You  are  not  well,"  she  said,  desirous  to  reassure  her- 
self and  Violet  by  assigning  a  physical  cause  to  the  dis- 
turbance. "  You  were  tired  from  your  journey,  and  the 
drive  out  here  has  upset  you." 

"  Yes,  that  is  it — I'm  tired,"  Miss  Cameron  answered, 
holding  her  fan  before  her  face. 

Though  ordinarily  little  given  to  presentiments,  the 
sensation  which  oppi'essed  her  seemed  a  warning  of  danger 
— not  bodily  peril ;  as  if  some  element  inimical  to  her  peace 
were  about  to  force  itself  into  her  life. 

The  marchesa  beckoned  to  a  gentleman  and  bade  him 
bring  a  glass  of  wine.  While  she  was  thus  occupied,  Violet, 
wondering  at  her  own  folly,  could  not  resist  glancing 
about,  half  expecting  to  see  some  mysterious  object  start 
up  and,  by  its  hostile  presence,  explain  the  omen. 

Another  instant  and  her  eyes  fell  upon  a  person  standing 
in  a  window  opposite.  Pie  had  not  been  there  a  few  mo- 
ments before,  she  knew.  His  gaze  met  hers.  She  recog- 
2 


26  THE    OMEN. 

nized  the  stranger  whom  she  had  encountered  in  the  morn- 
ing. Violet  almost  felt  that  her  laughing  assertion  to  Miss 
Bronson  had  been  the  truth — she  hated  this  man  !  Who 
was  he  ?  what  was  he  ?  how  came  there  ? 

He  stood  leaning  one  arm  on  the  sill — tall,  pale  ;  the 
mouth  shrouded  by  a  long  drooping  mustache,  the  thick 
curling  hair  somewhat  worn  off  the  temples  ;  the  counte- 
nance intellectual  and  handsome,  stamped  with  that  pecu- 
liar melancholy  which  in  another  age  was  regarded  as  a 
premonition  of  early  or  violent  death,  though  the  breadth 
of  the  head  and  the  vigor  of  the  finely-molded  chin  pre- 
served the  face  from  any  signs  of  the  weakness  of  character 
which  usually  belong  to  that  type  of  physiognomy. 

Violet  turned  impatiently  away.  The  messenger  had 
come  back  with  the  wine,  which  she  drank  to  escape  expos- 
tulations ;  then  the  gentleman  was  dispatched  upon  some 
new  errand,  just  to  be  got  rid  of,  and  Violet,  making  a 
strong  effort  to  listen,  heard  Nina  say,  apparently  continu- 
ing a  sentence  lost  upon  her  : 

"I  want  you  to  know  him.  He  went  with  us  to  the 
lakes,  and  Carlo  and  I  both  like  him  hugely.  Are  you  bet- 
ter now  ?  Ah,  here  he  comes."  And  the  stranger  was 
standing  before  her,  and  Nina  saying  :  "  My  dear,  let  me 
present  one  of  your  countrymen.  Mr.  Aylmer,  you  told 
me  you  had  never  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Miss  Cam- 
eron. I  shall  expect  you  to  be  my  devoted  slave  all  winter 
for  affording  you  the  happiness." 

Mr.  Aylmer  was  bowing  to  her,  Violet,  but  answering 
the  marchesa  : 

"Since  I  am  only  human,  I  must  be  that,  whether  I  will 
or  no." 

"  Question  !"  cried  Madame  Magnoletti.  "  Are  men 
human  ?  My  own  opinion  is  that  they  have  no  claim  to  be 
so  considered,  in  spite  of  their  assertions — qufen  dis-tu,  ma 
Violette?" 

And  Violet,  able  to  bend  her  head  in  response  to  the  in- 
troduction, leaned  back  in  her  chair,  and  played  negligently 
with  her  fan,  finding  some  slow,  half-disdainful,  fine  lady 
notes  in  her  voice  wherewith  to  reply: 

"  As  to  the  race,  female  philosophy  does  not  go  fai' 
enough  to  decide.  In  particular  instances,  it  can  only 
admit  that  a  mysterious  Providence  has  granted  poor  woman 
nothing  better." 


THE    OMEN.  27 

"  For  victims,"  rejoined  Aylmer,  laughing  so  lightly 
that,  in  her  overstrained  mood  the  pleasant  sound  gave 
Violet  a  shock — a  beneficial  one,  acting  upon  her  mind  as  a 
dash  of  cold  water  would  have  done  upon  her  physical 
nerves. 

Straightway  her  composure  returned  ;  she  was  ready  to 
smile  at  her  laie  absurd  sensation,  to  pronounce  it  simply  a 
result  of  bodily  fatigue  ;  above  all  things,  to  refuse  Mr. 
Aylmer  any  share  in  its  meaning,  even  if  it  were  to  be  con- 
sidered magnetic  or  supernatural. 

And  Nina,  watching  her,  rejoiced  to  see  that  the  odd 
discomposure  had  passed,  in  no  way  connecting  Aylmer 
therewith  ;  in  spite  of  her  quickness  not  having  perceived 
that  Violet's  eyes  had  so  much  as  glanced  towards  him 
while  he  stood  in  the  window. 

They  talked  gayly  for  a  few  moments,  then  other  men 
came  up,  and  Mr.  Aylmer  yielded  his  place.  When  an  op- 
portunity offered,  Nina  asked  : 

"  What  do  you  think  of  him  ?  I  did  not  say  too  much. 
He  really  is  charming — now  admit  it,  mademoiselle  la  diffi- 
cile !" 

"Which  'him'?"  returned  Violet.  "You  have  pre- 
sented three  different  men  to  me  within  the  last  ten 
minutes." 

"Your  countryman — Laurence  Aylmer — the  others  are 
of  no  consequence.  You  know,  as  a  rule,  Carlo  does  not 
take  to  foreigners,  anymore  than  Florentines  do  generally  ; 
but  he  came  to  us  under  unusual  auspices,"  pursued  Nina, 
eagerly.  "  Alexis  is  traveling  in  America — I  wrote  you  so 
— I  am  sure  it  was  your  fault  he  went  off  !  You  heartless 
thing  !  why  wouldn't  you  be  my  sister?" 

"  Nonsense  !" 

"  Oh,  very  well — you  are  a  barbarous  wretch  !  How- 
ever, it  is  not  Alexis  and  his  broken  heart  that  are  in  ques- 
tion now,  but  this  stranger  within  our  gates  !  You  must 
know  Alexis  was  out  hunting  on  those  dreadful  American 
prairies — tigers — no,  buffaloes — or  whatever  it  is  they  hunt 
there — and  he  fell  ill  with  some  horrible  fever,  such  as  one 
must  go  to  America  to  catch,  and  along  comes  Aylmer  with 
his  party  and  nurses  Alexis,  and  saves  his  life.  Now  isn't 
it  like  a  story  ?" 

"  Very  like,"  Violet  replied  languidly. 

"  You  don't  care  !"  cried  Nina.     "  Alexis,  and  Aylmer, 


28  THE    OMEN. 

and  every  other  man  might  be  devoured  by  fevers  or  buffa- 
loes, and  you  would  only  yawn.  Well,  I  shall  finish  my 
history  just  to  punish  you.  Alexis  thought  he  was  dying, 
and  made  Aylmer  promise  to  come  and  break  the  news  to 
me  ;  but  after  all  he  didn't  die." 

"  Naturally,  he  did  not  do  what  he  said  he  would — being 
mortal,"  observed  Violet.  "  But  since  Count  Apraxin  failed 
to  keep  his  word,  what  sent  my  countryman  in  search  of 
you  ?" 

"  Oh,  he  was  coming  to  Europe  in  any  case,  it  seems. 
Alexis  had  written  us  volumes  about  him,  and  of  course  we 
received  him  with  open  arms  ;  you  know  how  warm-hearted 
Carlo  is,  in  spite  of  his  pretense  at  cynicism." 

"  Though  I  did  not  know  his  generous  impulses  went  to 
the  length  of  allowing  you  to  receive  young  men  with  open 
arms." 

"  Don't  be  literal — it  is  always  coarse.  Well,  his  whole 
story  is  a  romance.  He  lost  a  fortune  through  the  villainy  of 
some  man  he  had  trusted — so  he  has  taken  to  literature,  and 
comes  here  to  write  a  book.  It  ought  to  be  poetry,  but  it 
isn't — though  he  looks  a  poet,  every  inch  of  him  !  Archaeo- 
logical,  Carlo  says  ;  but,  thank  heaven,  I  don't  know  what 
it  means,  and  when  Carlo  tried  to  explain,  I  went  fast 
asleep  :  though,  I  give  you  my  word,  I  woke  up  quickly 
enough  when  he  flew  into  a  rage  and  said  he  was  going  to 
see  Giulia  da  Rimini.  My  dear,  she  is  more  odious  and 
outrageous  than  ever.  But  where  was  I  ?"  gasped  Nina, 
stopping  to  take  breath. 

"  I  have  not  the  least  idea,"  groaned  Violet.  "  You  are 
worse  than  the  waters  of  Lodore — if  you  ever  heard  of  them." 

"I  have — I  know  as  much  English  as  you  !  But  no 
matter  ;  you'll  not  get  rid  of  my  story  by  abusing  me." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  the  story  is  not  ended  yet  ?" 

"  Well,  I  am  afraid  it  is — but  now  own  that  he  looks 
like  a  hero  !  And  isn't  it  quite  in  keeping  for  him  to  be 
ruined?  And  of  course  he  must  find  a  princess  to  fall  in 
love  with  him — only  it  seems  dreadful  he  should  not  be 
rich  ;  and  I  hope  that  wretch  who  brought  it  about  has  to 
suffer — Mr.  Han — Ban — no,  Danvers  !  A  villain,  my  dear, 
and  one  of  your  countrymen,  too,  as  might  be  expected — 
take  that  scratch  for  your  impertinence.  Of  course  Aylmer 
has  not  said  a  word,  but  Alexis  wrote  us  all  about  it,  and  I 
remembered  the  wretch's  ugly  name — George  Danvers." 


THE    OMEN.  29 

Another  of  George  Danvers's  victims — certainly  a 
reason  for  Violet  to  sympathize  with  the  man,  instead 
of  trying  to  fancy  that  she  disliked  him  because  of  the 
morning's  unfortunate  encounter. 

"  George  Danvers  !"  she  repeated  mechanically. 

"  Yes  ;  but  never  mind  him — he  is  dead  and  gone," 
said  Nina.  "  I  want  everybody  to  like  Aylmer  ;  he  is  a 
great  favorite  already.  Now  you  won't  hate  him,  will 
you  ?" 

"  Not  unless  you  worry  me  about  him,"  replied  Violet. 

"  I  promise  !  And  I  have  an  idea  !  There  is  that  ter- 
rifically rich  little  American  girl  down  in  Rome — I  forget 
her  name  ;  but  she  would  be  the  very  partie  for  him." 

And  here,  to  Miss  Cameron's  relief,  other  guests  came  up 
and  engrossed  the  marchesa's  attention.  Violet  accepted 
some  man's  arm  and  walked  through  the  salons,  talking  and 
being  talked  to,  as  was  her  duty — stopping  for  a  little  in 
the  card-room  behind  the  Marchese  Magnoletti's  chair,  at 
his  request,  to  bring  him  good  luck. 

After  awhile  she  found  herself  in  the  music-hall,  and 
paused  to  listen  to  a  young  professional,  with  the  most 
delicious  tenor  voice  Florence  had  discovered  in  years. 
Then  she  suddenly  felt  a  longing  to  escape  from  everybody 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  seized  an  opportunity  when  she 
could  stray  unperceived  into  a  gallery  beyond.  She  stood 
by  one  of  the  windows,  looking  out  over  the  moonlit  lawn 
and  gardens.  She  heard  a  step  on  the  marble  pavement, 
tu'-ned,  and  saw  Mr.  Aylmer  walking  back  and  forth  at  the 
farther  end  of  the  great  apartment,  where  a  row  of  pillars 
cast  long  black  shadows  across  the  dazzling  floor. 

She  moved  slowly  towards  him.  He  stood  still,  watch- 
ing her.  The  moonlight,  which  transfigures  all  objects, 
rendered  her  wondrously  beautiful.  He  had  an  odd  fancy 
that  he  was  seeing  her  as  her  soul  would  appear  in  a  higher 
stage  of  existence,  freed  from  the  shackles  which  fetter  us 
here. 

"  Mr.  Aylmer,"  she  said,  in  her  low,  clear  tones. 

He  came  forward,  the  admiration,  which  just  then  had 
a  certain  solemnity  akin  to  awe  mingled  with  it,  visible  in 
his  face  ;  but  Violet  was  too  much  occupied  with  her  own 
thoughts  to  notice.  As  he  reached  her  side,  she  said, 
abruptly  : 


80  THE    OMEN, 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  me  something  aboat  George  Dan- 
vers  and  bis  family." 

He  regarded  her  in  astonishment.  Evidently,  too,  the 
subject  was  a  painful  one  to  him. 

"  How  did  you  know  they  were  acquaintances  of  mine  ?" 
he  asked. 

"  Of  course  the  marchesa  told  me,"  she  answered,  and 
could  hear  an  impatient  ring  in  her  voice,  which  troubled 
her  as  a  sort  of  rudeness,  though  she  could  no  more  check 
it  than  find  a  satisfactory  reason  therefor. 

"  The  marchesa  has  been  told  nothing  of  them  by  me," 
he  said,  a  little  coldly. 

"  At  least,  she  knows  that  you  met  with  losses  through 
Mr.  Danvers — never  mind  how  she  knew  it,"  returned 
Violet,  marveling  more  and  more  at  herself  ;  and,  indeed, 
this  almost  peremptory  abruptness  was  so  unlike  her 
ordinary  demeanor  that  her  best  friends  would  have  mar- 
veled too.  "  You  did  have  trouble  through  his  means  ?" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss  Cameron.  I  do  not  think  I 
ought  to  talk  of  him,  unless  you  have  some  strong  motive 
for  desiring  it.  He  is  dead,  and  I  don't  want  to  be  harsh 
or  unjust." 

"  George  Danvers  was  my  cousin.  I  want  to  hear 
about  his  daughter.  You  know  her  ?  Well,  tell  me  what 
she  is  like." 

"  A  little — it  strikes  me  now  I  know  she  is  a  relative — 
a  little  like  you,"  returned  he,  after  a  pause,  in  which  he 
had  appeared  somewhat  disturbed,  naturally  enough,  after 
such  sudden  touching  of  a  deep  wound. 

"  Like  me  ?  I  am  not  sure  that  is  a  recommendation," 
Violet  answei'ed,  trying  to  get  back  her  ordinary  manner. 

"  Nor  is  she,"  he  said.  "  I  cannot  explain  what  I  mean. 
There  is  a  suggestion  of  you  in  her,  nothing  more — I  don't 
know  how  to  express  it — as  there  is  of  a  flower  in  a  bud." 

"  Poetical,  but  not  clear,"  said  Miss  Cameron,  with  a 
laugh.  "  So  you  suffered  through  that  wretched  man  ?  I 
fear  he  was  a  very  bad  one — not  even  kind  to  his  wife  and 
daughter." 

"  I  fear  not,"  Aylmer  replied,  and  his  voice  showed  that 
he  could  reveal  more  had  he  chosen — showed,  too,  that  he 
did  not  choose.  "  I  never  heard  Danvers  speak  of  you. 
Your  relationship  takes  me  by  surprise,"  he  added. 

"  No,  he  was  not  likely  to  speak  of  me,"  she  said.    "  We 


THE    OMEN.  81 

had  not  met  for  many  years.  I  wrote  to  his  daughter  this 
morning.  I  have  invited  her  to  come  to  me.  1  am  sorry 
you  suffered  at  the  father's  hands." 

"  Oh,  at  twenty-seven,  when  one  loses  only  money,  one 
ought  not  to  complain,"  Aylmer  replied,  cheerfully.  "  I 
have  health,  strength — a  good  deal  left,  you  see." 

"  Twenty-seven  !"  Why  should  the  words  give  Violet 
a  fresh  shock  ?  Why  should  she  mentally  repeat  them 
again  and  again  ?  She  did,  though  vexed  with  herself  the 
while — more  than  ever  irritated  against  him,  asking  her 
conscience  if  this  rose  from  envy.  Twenty-seven,  and  a 
man — his  whole  life  before  him  !  And  she  thirty-three, 
and  a  woman — youth  a  thing  of  the  past.  Even  had  she 
numbered  only  his  years,  this  would  still  be  the  case,  since 
— she  was  a  woman. 

She  began  walking  up  and  down  between  the  pillars. 
Her  long  silken  skirts  trailed  over  the  pavement,  their  soft 
ivory  tint  making  a  pretty  contrast  to  the  cold,  bluish-white 
of  the  marble.  The  moonbeams  wove  a  crown  about  her 
hair,  which  looked  black  in  their  glory  ;  her  ej'es  black 
too,  unnaturally  large  and  bright,  from  the  inexplicable  un- 
rest which  had  troubled  her  soul  during  the  last  hour. 

He  walked  beside  her  ;  and  for  a  few  moments  they 
talked  of  Italy,  of  Florence,  of  the  galleries,  and,  as  sud- 
denly as  her  unrest  had  seized  her,  the  feeling  died. 

"  Was  ever  woman  in  such  an  idiotic  mood  as  I  am?" 
Violet  thought.  "  I  am  frightened,  cross — everything  that 
is  silly,  and  all  without  reason."  Then  she  said  aloud  : 
"  Now  I  must  go  back.  After  all,  you  have  told  me  noth- 
ing about  George  Danvers's  daughter.  You  shall  do  that 
another  time." 

Again  he  looked  somewhat  troubled,  but  she  had  her 
head  turned  away. 

"  Whenever  I  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  again," 
he  said. 

"  The  marchesa  will  bring  you  to  my  house,  if  you  like 
to  come,"  she  answered.  Then  that  same  ill-disposed  im- 
pulse rose  in  her  breast  anew,  and  she  added,  "  I  am  just 
off  a  long  journey  ;  after  awhile,  when  I  get  rested,  I  shall 
begin  to  receive  people." 

She  moved  on  so  quickly  that  he  could  not  help  under- 
standing he  was  not  to  follow,  and  he  remained  gazing 


32  THE    OMEN. 

after  her  as  she  glided  away  like  a  spirit  among  the  moon- 
beams. 

Violet,  reflecting  that  her  behavior  during  the  entire  in- 
terview had  been  open  to  censure,  again  marveled  what 
could  7'ender  her  this  night  so  unlike  herself,  and,  once 
more  back  in  the  salon,  rushed  into  her  gayest  mood  and 
charmed  everybody.  Later,  she  caught  a  glimpse  of  Mr. 
Aylmer  standing  silent  near  the  marchesa's  sofa.  After 
that  she  did  not  see  him  again. 

Violet's  carriage  was  the  last  to  leave  the  villa  ;  Nina 
had  kept  her  for  more  confidential  talk  over  nothing,  and 
Carlo  insisted  upon  his  right  to  a  little  attention,  vowing 
that  he  had  been  afforded  no  opportunity  even  to  speak  to 
her. 

"  You  should  make  opportunities,"  said  Nina. 

"As  I  am  neither  baccarat  nor  Giulia  da  Rimini,  I  can- 
not expect  him  to  take  so  much  trouble,"  rejoined  Violet. 

Carlo  wrung  his  hands,  and  declared  that,  between  his 
wife  and  the  woman  he  worshiped,  no  man  was  ever  so 
ill-treated  as  he,  and  altogether  they  wasted  a  good  half- 
hour  in  nonsense  which  would  not  repay  for  the  trouble  of 
setting  down  in  black  and  white,  though  it  amused  the 
speakers  sufficiently. 

Violet  drove  away  up  the  dazzling  white  road,  so  pre- 
occupied that  she  did  not  notice  how  fast  the  horses  went, 
or  that  several  times  her  faithful  Antonio,  seated  on  the 
box,  spoke  reprovingly  to  the  coachman,  who  remained  ob- 
stinately deaf  to  his  expostulations. 

The  night  was  unusually  warm  for  Tuscany  at  that  sea- 
son ;  summer  seemed  to  have  come  back  during  the  last 
few  days.  The  landau  had  been  left  open,  and  a  soft 
breeze,  odorous  of  fields  and  woods,  kissed  Violet's  cheek  ; 
the  moon  glowed  like  a  great  disk  of  illuminated  alabaster 
in  mid-heaven  ;  the  farther  hills  rose  shadowy  and  gigantic 
in  the  silvery,  mysterious  light. 

Now  the  sound  of  rapidly  rushing  water  became  audi- 
ble, and  a  sharp  turn  in  the  road  brought  them  close  to  a 
stream  swollen  by  late  rains  to  ominous  dimensions. 

The  highway  grew  very  narrow  here  ;  a  break  in  the 
wall  which  guarded  it  on  the  side  of  the  torrent,  had  not 
been  mended.  The  horses  took  fright  at  a  dog  which  ran 
past  barking  fiercely  ;  they  swerved  and  reared.  The 
coachman  plied  the  lash  ;  Antonio  shrieked  at  him  in  angry 


THE    OMEN.  33 

alarm,  and  Violet  suddenly  roused  herself  to  a  sense  of  the 
danger  by  which  they  were  menaced — a  fall  over  the  pre- 
cipitous bank. 

Before  she  could  move,  a  man  started  out  from  the 
shadow  of  a  tree  close  to  the  edge  of  the  stream,  waved 
his  hat  full  in  the  faces  of  the  terrified  animals,  arid  as  they 
backed,  seized  them  by  the  bridles.  At  the  same  instant, 
Antonio  snatched  the  reins  from  the  coachman,  and  tug- 
ging thereat  with  all  his  force,  helped  to  turn  the  horses' 
heads  into  the  road  again. 

The  danger  was  over,  but  even  as  Violet  thought  this, 
the  beasts  plunged  forward,  and  the  pole  struck  the  man's 
shoulder  with  such  violence  that  he  fell  backwards. 

There  followed  a  few  seconds  of  partial  insensibility, 
fuller  of  agony  than  any  pain  she  had  ever  endured,  from 
the  ability  her  mind  preserved  to  take  in  a  sense  of  utter 
helplessness  ;  then  the  horses  had  been  stopped,  and  she 
saw  Antonio  stooping  over  a  body  prostrate  in  the  dust. 
Presently — how  she  got  there  she  could  no  more  have  told 
than  if  she  had  been  in  some  dreadful  dream — she  was  be- 
side him,  looking  down  into  the  face  of  Laurence  Aylmer 
— cold,  white,  fixed  ;  the  face  of  a  dead  man,  she  thought ; 
a  man  killed  in  the  very  act  of  saving  her  life. 

Violet  heard  her  own  voice — though  the  words  seemed 
spoken  without  her  volition — saying  : 

"  Is  he  dead  ?  " 

"I  cannot  tell,"  Antonio  replied,  in  the  same  half-whis- 
pering tone.  They  both  stared  anew  at  the  white  face  that 
he  supported  on  his  knee,  and  another  question  broke  simul- 
taneously from  their  lips  : 

"  What  are  we  to  do  ?  " 

The  coachman  came  up  ;  he  had  fastened  the  horses  to 
a  tree,  where  they  stood  quiet  enough  now  the  mischief  was 
done,  and  he  himself  appeared  perfectly  sober,  whatever  he 
might  have  been  before  the  accident  occurred. 

He  leaned  forward,  studied  the  white  face  in  his  turn, 
and  muttered  : 

"tifattodiluif" 

"And  if  so,  you  murdered  him  !"  returned  Antonio,  in 
a  fierce  whisper  ;  "  you  drunken  assassin  !  " 

"  I  was  not  drunk,"  said  the  coachman,  hoarsely;  "I 
had  a  presentiment  of  evil  on  me — ask  the  marchese's  cook 
if  I  did  not  tell  him  so." 

2* 


34  THE    OMEN. 

Violet  canght  the  explanation,  and  with  difficulty  re- 
frained from  a  burst  of  hysterical  laughter.  There  was 
something  hideous,  revolting,  in  the  fat,  coarse  creature's 
looks  and  speech  in  that  presence,  which  hurt  her  like  a 
broad  farce  intruded  in  the  midst  of  a  tragedy. 

"And  you  fulfilled  your  presentiment  ?"  said  Antonio. 

"  Holy  Saint  Joseph,  only  listen  to  him  !  "  groaned  the 
coachman,  flinging  up  both  arms. 

"  Hush  !  "  Violet  said  sternly,  and  her  voice  silenced  the 
pair.  She  turned  sick  and  cold,  but  the  lethargy  which  had 
locked  her  senses  and  kept  her  powerless  as  a  person  in  a 
nightmare,  suddenly  passed  —  she  could  think  and  act. 
"You  must  put  him  into  the  carriage,"  she  said.  "  Quick, 
Antonio  !  don't  lose  any  more  time." 

Both  men  were  sane  enough  to  carry  out  an  order, 
though  neither  would  have  been  capable  of  suggesting  an 
idea.  They  managed  between  them  to  lift  their  burden 
into  the  landau.  Violet  took  off  a  thin  scarf,  which  was 
wrapped  about  her  head,  and  bade  Antonio  dip  it  in  the 
water,  a  command  which,  after  several  abortive  efforts,  he 
succeeded  in  obeying.  As  she  moistened  the  forehead  and 
lips  of  the  insensible  man  she  felt  a  slight  quiver  stir  his 
frame. 

"  He  is  not  dead  !  "  she  whispered,  and  now  her  strength 
came  back. 

Antonio  laid  his  hand  on  the  feebly-pulsating  heart, 
and,  after  an  instant,  repeated  : 

"  He  is  not  dead  !  Shall  we  take  him  to  the  villa,  ma- 
demoiselle ?  " 

"  Yes — no  ;  that  would  only  be  wasting  time — there  is 
no  doctor  there.  How  far  are  we  from  the  town  ?" 

"More  than  a  mile,  mademoiselle." 

Violet  stepped  into  the  carriage. 

"Drive  on — drive  fast  !  "  she  said. 

What  a  journey  that  was — what  an  endless  period  those 
brief  moments  seemed  to  cover.  Violet  sat  supporting  the 
heavy,  helpless  head,  unable  to  move  her  eyes  from  the 
face  which  showed  ashen  and  rigid  in  the  moonlight.  Her 
presentiment !  Was  this  what  the  dreadful  warning  had 
meant  ?  Killed — killed  under  her  wheels  !  George  Dan- 
vers  had  ruined  this  man,  and  now  she  was  the  means  of 
sending-him  out  of  the  world  !  By  what  strange  fatality 
had  she  and  her  race  proved  such  a  curse  to  him  ?  Hosts 


THE    OMEN.  35 

of  vague,  wild  thoughts  rushed  through  her  brain — others 
came — she  could  exercise  no  control  over  her  mind  ;  it  wan- 
dered where  it  would.  Was  he  dead  already  ?  If  so, 
where  had  it  gone — that  soul  ?  She  stared  up  at  the  moon 
and  stars  :  heaven  itself  seemed  so  pitiless,  so  mocking  in 
its  tranquil  beauty  ! 

Oh,  the  time — the  time  !  Would  the  drive  never  end — 
never  ? 

Then  Antonio's  voice  roused  her.  They  had  reached 
the  city  gates.  Antonio  leaned  down  in  his  seat  and  said  : 

"Where  are  we  to  go?  Does  mademoiselle  know 
where  the  poor  gentleman  lived  ?  " 

Miss  Cameron's  lips  framed  a  mute  negative. 

"  And  it  is  two  o'clock — every  place  shut — not  an  hotel 
would  open  to  let  that  in,"  moaned  Antonio,  emphasizing 
his  meaning  by  a  gesture  towards  the  motionless  form. 

Violet  shivered  from  head  to  foot  in  an  icy  chill  ;  then 
a  thought  suggested  itself :  no,  some  power  extraneous  to 
hor  faculties  appeared  to  suggest  it. 

"  Drive  to  Professor  Schmidt's,"  she  said;  "Via  della 
Scala." 

Doctor  Schmidt  was  an  old  German  physician,  retired 
from  practice  ;  a  man  with  a  European  reputation.  She 
was  certain  of  his  being  in  Florence — they  had  come  from 
Venice  together. 

The  carriage  rolled  down  the  street.  What  a  noise  the 
wheels  made  on  the  stones — it  sounded  like  thunder  in  her 
ears !  All  the  while  she  was  watching  that  face  ;  she 
wanted  to  look  away — she  could  not  !  Heavier  and 
heavier  grew  the  weight  upon  her  shoulder  ;  was  he  dead 
yet — dead  ? 

Then  the  landau  paused  in  front  of  the  professor's 
house.  It  chanced  that  the  old  savant  had  been  reading 
late  ;  just  before  the  carriage  stopped  he  had  opened  a 
window  of  his  study,  which  was  on  the  ground-floor,  and 
stood  looking  out.  Violet  saw  him. 

"  Come — come  quick  !"  she  called  in  German. 

The  doctor  laid  his  great  pipe  down  upon  the  window- 
sill,  lifted  his  spectacles  and  stared  open-mouthed. 

"Ac/i  Gott!    Fraulein  Cameron  !"  he  exclaimed. 

He  hurried  out  of  doors  ;  the  instant  he  caught  sight  of 
the  face  resting  on  Miss  Cameron's  shoulder,  he  cried  : 


36  THE    OMEN. 

"  Gott  in  Himmel — it  is  Laurence  Aylmer  !  What  is 
this?  What  is  this?" 

It  required  only  a  brief  explanation  to  make  him  under- 
stand what  had  happened.  Violet  gave  it  clearly  enough, 
in  spite  of  her  fright  and  horror. 

"  Is  he  dead  ?"  she  whispered. 

A  moment's  dreadful  silence,  then  the  professor  an- 
swered : 

"No,  not  dead.  He  must  be  got  home.  Take  him 
home." 

"  I  don't  know  where  he  lives,"  groaned  Violet. 

"No  hotel  would  receive  him — these  brutes  of  Floren- 
tines !"  added  Antonio,  who,  in  his  quality  of  ex-courier, 
spoke  every  civilized  language  like  his  mother-tongue. 

"  True,  true  !"  muttered  the  professor.  "  And  I  have  no 
room.  The  fools  are  altering  my  apartment.  I  have 
hardly  a  place  to  put  my  bed." 

"  To  my  house  !"  cried  Violet.  "  Get  in,  professor  ;  we 
are  losing  time.  Come — come  !" 

The  doctor  rushed  back  into  his  study,  and  returned 
quickly  with  a  square  box  in  his  hand. 

As  the  carriage  dashed  off,  Violet  heard  the  coachman 
croak  again  like  some  bird  of  ill-omen  : 

"  Efatto  diluiF 

"  My  poor  Laurence  !"  said  the  professor.  "  lie  came 
to  see  me  this  very  morning." 

"  Oh,  then  you  know  where  he  lives  ?" 

"  No  ;  lie  "was  just  changing  quarters — agreed  to  come 
to-morrow.  I  knew  him  well  in  America — a  splendid  fel- 
low !  To  see  him  like  this  !  Ach  Gott!  but  it  is  of  no 
use  lamenting,"  he  broke  off  gruffly. 

They  reached  the  palace.  The  porter  was  still  up,  and 
Miss  Cameron's  maid  awaiting  her  return  ;  every  other 
member  of  the  household  had  been  in  bed  for  hours. 

The  ground-floor  contained  a  suite  of  rooms  which 
Violet  had  fitted  up  for  friends  who  might  chance  to  stop 
with  her.  Was  the  place  in  order  ?  she  asked.  Surely,  in 
perfect  order,  the  porter  averred.  So  the  men  carried  their 
burden  into  the  apartment,  and  laid  it  on  the  bed  in  the 
sleeping-room  ;  Violet  following  mechanically. 

The  professor  turned  quite  fiercely  upon  her,  as  his 
manner  was,  saying : 


THE    OMEN.  37 

"  You  are  to  go  away,  Fraulein  ;  you  are  not  wanted 
here." 

"  He  is  not  dead  ?"  again  she  whispered.  "  You  are 
certain  ?" 

"  Plenty  of  life  in  him  yet — plenty  !  There,  there,  get 
to  your  bed  ;  get  to  your  bed." 

But  though  he  growled  out  the  order  and  frowned 
blackly  from  under  his  beetle-brows,  he  led  her  gently  to 
the  door,  patting  her  hand  as  if  she  had  been  a  child. 

She  found  her  maid  waiting  above  stairs,  and  dismissed 
her  without  mentioning  what  had  happened,  unable  to  bear 
questionings  or  feminine  lamentations  just  then. 

After  a  little  she  went  out  on  the  landing  again  and  lis- 
tened— no  sound  was  audible  from  below.  It  seemed  to 
her  that  she  waited  a  long  time  ;  the  suspense  became 
unendurable.  She  crept  down  to  the  entrance-hall  and 
peered  into  the  lodge — it  was  empty  ;  probably  Giovanni's 
services  had  been  required.  She  paused  near  the  door  of 
the  apartments  in  which  the  injured  man  lay,  then  mounted 
^e  staircase  again,  treading  as  cautiously  as  though  her 
step  could  disturb  the  sufferer. 

She  paced  the  antechamber  and  adjacent  salon.  An 
hour  elapsed.  Her  vigil  remained  unbroken  ;  but  go  to 
her  room,  even  keep  still,  she  could  not.  She  felt  so  guilty, 
so  wicked  !  She  recollected  her  haughty  words  in  the 
morning,  her  ill-disguised  irritation  of  the  evening,  with  a 
shame  almost  as  passionate  as  remorse.  Verily,  the  trouble 
presaged  by  her  soul  had  come,  but  not  of  the  nature  she 
had  dreaded.  The  omen  had  been  fulfilled,  but  he  was  the 
sufferer.  The  time  dragged  on  ;  yet,  though  exhausted  by 
fatigue  and  excitement,  she  must  have  news  before  she 
tried  to  sleep. 

Through  the  arched  casement,  which  almost  filled  one 
end  of  the  antechamber,  gray  gleams  began  to  break  across 
a  gap  in  the  shutters.  Day  had  come  again.  She  won- 
dered what  it  would  be  like,  after  the  awful  experience  of 
the  night. 

At  last  she  heard  a  sound — the  careful  opening  and 
closing  of  a  door — then  steps  on  the  stairs.  Antonio,  en- 
tering, found  himself  face  to  face  with  his  mistress,  so  pale 
and  wan  that  her  appearance  fairly  startled  him. 

"  Is  it  all  over  ?"  she  asked,  in  a  hoarse  whisper. 

"  No,  no,  mademoiselle  !      There  is  every  hope  !"  ho 


38  A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES. 

cried  eagerly.  "  I  could  not  come  before.  I  did  not  dream 
that  mademoiselle  was  waiting." 

"  I  wanted  to  hear,"  she  answered,  drawing  a  breath  of 
relief.  "  How  is  he  hurt  ?" 

"The  left  shoulder  is  dislocated — the  blow  from  the 
pole  did  that,"  Antonio  explained.  "  He  fell  with  such 
force  on  the  back  of  his  head  that  it  has  caused  concussion 
of  the  brain." 

"  Then  he  is  insensible  !" 

"  Oh,  completely — may  stay  so  for  forty-eight  hours  ; 
but  the  professor  is  sure  everything  will  go  well,"  he  added 
hastily,  seeing  her  shrink.  "  Mademoiselle  must  get  to  her 
bed  ;  she  will  be  ill.  The  doctor  remains.  I  only  came  up 
to  put  out  the  lamps  ;  I  had  forgotten  them." 

"  He  will  not — not  die — the  professor  is  sure  ?" 

"  There  is  every  hope,"  Antonio  asserted,  more  reso- 
lutely than  he  had  warrant  for  doing.  "  The  doctor  is  so 
skillful — kind,  too,  though  he  does  speak  roughly  some- 
times !  But  the  thing  now  is  for  mademoiselle  to  get  to 
her  bed.  Yes,  indeed,  that  is  what  is  imperative  !" 

Violet  found  a  certain  sense  of  relief  in  receiving  any 
positive  direction.  She  went  away  to  her  room,  undressed, 
and  lay  down,  and,  before  long,  fell  into  a  deep,  dreamless 
slumber. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES. 

LEEP  calmed  Miss  Cameron's  nerves  sufficiently, 
so  that  she  was  able  to  appear  like  her  ordinary 
self. 

Clarice  brought  her  Antonio's  report.  There 
was  no  change  in  the  injured  man's  condition. 
The  professor  had  gone  home,  but  would  return  at  nine 
o'clock.  Miss  Bronson  appeared,  greatly  excited  by  the 
news  which  had  reached  her — naturally  enough  eager  for 
particulars  of  the  accident  ;  and,  to  avoid  giving  them, 
Violet  hurried  her  off  to  an  early  church  service  which 
some  saint's  day  offered. 


A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES.  39 

After  the  professor  had  visited  his  patient,  he  came  up 
stairs  and  explained  the  state  of  the  case.  The  stupor  was 
the  inevitable  result  of  the  hurt  to  the  brain,  and  might  last 
from  thirty-six  to  forty-eight  hours.  After  that,  if  every- 
thing went  well,  recovery  need  not  be  a  long  affair.  But, 
hopefully  as  he  tried  to  speak,  Violet  could  see  that  he  was 
very  anxious. 

"  And  he  must  stay  where  he  is  till  cured,"  said  the  pro- 
fessor ;  "no  removing  for  him.  So  make  up  your  mind  to 
it,  Fraulein  Cameron.  Ah,  how  do  you  do,  Miss  Bronson  ? 
You  look  as  fresh  as  a  field  daisy,"  he  added,  as  the 
spinster  entered  just  in  time  to  hear  that  closing  verdict, 
which  tilled  her  with  horror. 

Her  mind  had  been  sorely  disturbed  by  the  remarks  of 
acquaintances  she  encountered  at  church  ;  and  even  her 
sympathy  for  suffering  paled  momentarily  before  her  dread 
of  the  reports  to  which  the  accident  and  the  stranger 
gentleman's  presence  under  that  roof  might  give  rise. 

"  Here  the  poor  fellow  is,  and  here  he  stays  !"  continued 
the  professor. 

"  From  the  way  you  speak,  one  would  think  I  wished  to 
Bend  him  away,"  returned  Violet. 

"  No,  no  ;  I  am  not  likely  to  think  that !  Still,  it  is  un- 
fortunate," said  Schmidt,  rubbing  his  nose. 

"  Most  unfortunate,"  sighed  Eliza,  as  she  sank  into  a 
chai  r. 

Now  the  old  German  and  Miss  Bronson  were  antipa- 
thetic to  one  another,  and  the  instant  she  echoed  his  words, 
Schmidt  could  not  help  rejoining  : 

u  Why  so,  Miss  Bronson  ?" 

"  Such  talk  as  there  will  be — you  know  Florence  !" 

"  I  know  the  galleries  and  museums,  but  I  don't  know 
your  gossips,  if  they  are  what  you  mean  by  Florence," 
said  he. 

"  Please  don't  call  them  my  gossips,"  retorted  Eliza, 
bridling  ;  "  I  think  no  one — not  my  worst  enemy,  if  I  have 
an  enemy — could  accuse  me  of  a  taste  for  such  society." 

"  I  have  accused  you  of  nothing  !  An  enemy — why 
shouldn't  you  have  one,  or  twenty,  as  well  as  another — tell 
me  that,  Miss  Bronson  ?"  cried  the  professor,  triumphantly. 

"  You  said  yourself  it  was  unfortunate,"  sighed  Eliza. 

"  But  I  was  not  thinking  of  the  gossips." 

"  Well,  one  has  to  think  of  them  !     Oh,  they  will  say 


40  A    BOUQUET     OF    JESSAMINES. 

dreadful  things  !  A  young  gentleman  in  the  house  with 
two  lone  ladies." 

The  professor  put  his  hand  to  his  mouth  and  made  a 
grimace  behind  it  which  Eliza  did  not  catch,  but  Violet 
laughed  outright. 

"  We  can  hardly  be  called  '  lone,'  with  such  a  troop  of 
servants,"  she  said.  "  Really,  Eliza,  I  don't  think  we  run 
much  risk." 

"  I  know  what  will  be  said,  as  well  as  if  I  had  heard  it," 
replied  Eliza,  with  prophetic  voice  and  mien;  "it  will  not 
be  the  Italians  alone,  though  the  Americans  and  English 
always  do  ascribe  the  slanders  to  them,  I  know  !"  and  she 
began  to  fan  herself  with  a  newspaper  which  lay  on  the 
table,  fixing  her  eyes  with  mingled  sternness  and  reproach 
on  the  physician,  as  if  the  whole  affair  were  his  fault. 

"  She  would  make  a  splendid  model  for  a  picture  of 
Cassandra,"  said  old  Schmidt,  taking  a  pinch  of  snuff  ; 
"  now  would  she  not,  Fraulein  Cameron  ?" 

"  I  am  not  thinking  of  models  or  pictures,"  returned 
Eliza,  loftily. 

"  No,  no,  you  make  us  think  of  them,"  said  the  provok- 
ing savant ;  "  that  is  your  mission." 

"Come,  Eliza,  don't  be  miserable,"  added  Violet.  "If 
people  abuse  me,  I  will  exonerate  you  from  any  share  of 
blame.  What  coflld  I  do  ?" 

"  Mr.  Aylmer  has  ai'esidence  of  some  kind — somewhere — 
I  suppose"  replied  Eliza,  with  withering  emphasis. 

"But  I  did  not  know  where,  my  dear." 

The  doctor  took  snuff  and  studied  Eliza  with  a  slow, 
German  appreciation. 

"  You  will  have  to  endure  it,"  he  said.  "  Miss  Bronson, 
your  character  will  be  ruined,  but  you  can  come  out  in  a 
new  one,  that  of  martyr.  You  are  a  religious  woman — you 
believe  in  the  saints,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  family  !  You 
ought  to  be  thankful  that  martyrdom  is  permitted  you. 
The  early  Christians  were  eager  for  it,  so  their  historians 
say  :  you  must  imitate  them — imitate  them." 

"  Professor  Schmidt,  I  do  think  you  are  the  cruellest  man 
alive  !"  whimpered  Eliza  ;  "  but  you  might  spare  me  jests 
on  that  subject  !  You  may  be  a  materialist ;  but  it  is  no 
reason " 

"  Wait,  wait  !"  broke  in  the  savant ;  "what  is  a  mate- 
rialist ?  Do  you  tell  me  that  first." 


A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES.  41 

"A  man  who  believes  in  nothing — like  you,"  cried 
Eliza,  growing  vexed  enough  to  turn  upon  him. 

"  Wrong,"  said  the  professor,  in  a  tone  of  enjoyment, 
"entirely  wrong!  Now,  about  those  early  Christians  of 
yours " 

"  Do  not  try  to  shake  my  faith,"  broke  in  Eliza  ;  "  you 
cannot  do  it.  1  believe  the  Bible,  and  the  Apostles'  Creed, 
and " 

"And  fore-ordination  and  general  damnation,  and  all 
the  other  '  ations,'  "  finished  the  doctor,  while  she  was  taking 
breath.  "  Well,  well,  don't  get  excited — it  is  bad  for  the 
digestion.  What  you  call  the  soul  may  not  be  of  much 
consequence,  but  the  stomach  is." 

"  Violet,  it  is  dreadful  to  hear  him  talk  so.  I  wonder 
you  can  let  him  !"  moaned  Eliza. 

"  My  dear,  I  grew  accustomed  to  hearing  you  two  quar- 
rel last  summer  in  the  Dolomites.  I  am  past  being 
shocked  by  what  either  of  you  can  say." 

"  Now  suppose  we  take  St.  Paul,"  continued  the  savant. 
"Admit  that  he  wrote  the  first  four  of  the  epistles  which 
bear  his  name,  what  have  you  proved?  He  made  a  gross 
blunder  —  he  said  the  end  of  the  world  was  at  hand. 
Now,  one  of  two  things  :  either  he  was  deceiving  others, 
or  he  deceived  himself.  Assume  the  latter  to  have  been 
the  case.  You  do  away  with  all  possibility  of  his  being 
inspired — you " 

"  I  won't  hear  !"  shrieked  Eliza,  and,  putting  her  handa 
to  her  ears,  she  ran  out  of  the  room. 

The  savant  looked  at  Violet  with  a  mingled  humor  and 
satisfaction. 

"  I  thought  I  could  find  a  way  to  make  her  leave  you 
in  peace,"  said  he.  "  She'll  not  worry  you  about  her 
gossips  again  to-day." 

"  I  dare  say  she  was  right  enough  in  saying  that  all 
sorts  of  nonsensical  reports  will  be  spread." 

"  I  dare  say  she  was.     But  you  don't  mean  to  care  ?" 

"  No,  of  course  not." 

"  Come,"  said  the  professor,  frowning  at  her  with  fierce 
approval;  "  you  remember  what  the  Englishman,  S)'dney 
Smith  said,  about  God  and  the  strawberry  ?  Well,  I  shall 
apply  it  to  you.  No  doubt  Nature  could  have  framed  a  more 
sensible  woman,  but  I  don't  believe  Nature  ever  did.  And 
now  I  am  going  back  to  my  patient." 


42  A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES. 

Violet  had  known  the  professor  for  several  years,  and 
knew  that  his  heart  was  on  the  same  scale  as  his  great  in- 
tellect. He  was  an  old  man  now,  but  vigorous  as  ever  in  body 
and  mind.  He  had  given  up  the  practice  of  his  profession 
a  long  while  before,  though  frequently  called  upon  for  ad- 
vice in  difficult  cases,  and  his  decisions  were  regarded 
almost  like  those  of  fate.  He  was  a  naturalist  as  well  as  a 
physician,  and  had  written  various  books,  which  had  been 
translated  into  several  languages.  Unfortunately,  these 
works  so  clearly  proved  the  unorthodox  tenor  of  his  opinions 
that  many  people  regarded  him  as  a  potent  emissary  of  the 
Evil  One.  But,  whatever  he  believed  or  disbelieved,  he 
certainly  carried  out  more  thoroughly  the  chief  precept  of 
the  Master  than  any  person  Violet  had  ever  met,  and  she 
had  a  warm  friendship  for  him.  He  never  attempted  to 
trouble  her  religious  faith,  though  now  and  then  he  could 
not  resist  teasing  Miss  Bronson,  for  there  were  times  when 
she  irritated  him. 

"  I  cannot  tell  why  she  should,"  he  would  say,  "  and  you 
can't  tell  why  the  buzzing  of  a  blue-bottle  fly  irritates  you, 
but  it  does." 

Yet  he  was  very  good  to  her  ;  indeed,  his  acquaintance 
with  the  two  ladies  began  by  his  curing  poor  Eliza  of  a 
severe  attack  of  sciatica,  which  seized  her  while  sojourning 
in  the  Tyrol,  and  she  felt  exceedingly  grateful  to  him, 
though  nobody  could  shudder  more  profoundly  over  his 
heterodoxy.  She  would  as  soon  have  dreamed  of  robbing 
a  church  as  reading  one  of  his  productions,  and  was  kept  in 
mortal  fear  by  his  threats  of  dedicating  to  her  a  volume 
which  he  declared  himself  concocting  upon  her  favorite 
Apostle,  whose  name  so  often  sounded  as  a  battle-cry  be- 
tween them. 

"  Has  he  gone  ?  "  asked  the  spinster,  putting  her  head  in 
at  the  door.  "  Oh,  my  dear,  when  he  is  doing  a  kindness 
he  talks  more  dreadfully  than  ever  !  But  you  are  writing  ; 
I  disturb  you." 

"  I  have  finished — only  a  note  to  Nina.  Please  ring  the 
bell ;  one  of  the  men  must  ride  out  to  the  villa  immediately. 
I  did  not  like  to  send  until  I  had  heard  the  professor's  opin- 
ion after  his  morning  visit." 

When  the  order  had  been  given,  Eliza  sat  down  and 
sighed  vigorously. 


A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES.  43 

"  So  unfortunate,"  she  repeated  ;  "  so  terribly  unfortu- 
nate ! " 

"  If  you  want  to  be  unhappy,  my  dear,"  said  Violet, 
"  you  must  hunt  up  some  less  preposterous  bugbear,  else  I 
can  offer  you  no  sympathy.  You  forget  that  poor  man 
was  hurt  in  saving  me  from  danger." 

Eliza  was  silenced  and  ashamed,  but  not  convinced. 
She  could  not  help  still  regarding  Violet  as  a  heedless  girl, 
only  saved  from  indiscretions  by  her  companionship  ;  oc- 
casionally falling  into  them  in  spite  of  that — witness  the 
present  instance.  Poor  Eliza  felt  confident  that  if  she  had 
gone  to  the  villa,  matters  would  somehow  have  been  differ- 
ent, and  she  dwelt  upon  this  idea,  notwithstanding  its  man- 
ifest absurdity,  until  she  made  herself  very  wretched. 

It  was  a  relief  to  the  spinster  when  not  only  the 
marchese  appeared  in  hot  haste,  but  Nina,  though  her  ankle 
was  so  swollen  that  she  had  to  be  carried  up  stairs. 

"  Here  I  am,"  she  said  ;  "  and  a  regular  old  man  of  the 
sea  you  will  find  me.  Carlo  says  I  must  not  stir  for  several 
days." 

"Your  presence  will  be  a  comfort  to  Eliza,"  replied 
Violet.  "  You  are  not  very  correct,  but  at  least  you  are 
married,  and  so  will  answer  as  a  dragon  to  protect  us  two 
youthful  innocents." 

They  teased  Miss  Bronson  sadly,  not  so  much  for  the 
satisfaction  of  doing  it  as  to  keep  from  dwelling  upon  their 
fears. 

Late  in  the  following  afternoon  Aylmer  recovered  con- 
sciousness, but  at  first  he  had  no  recollection  of  the  acci- 
dent. The  details  of  the  preceding  day  came  back — his 
adventure  in  the  Cascine — and  slowly  his  mind  followed 
along  the  track  of  events  till  he  reached  his  second  meet- 
ing with  that  beautiful  woman  ;  but  it  refused  to  go  further 
than  the  moment  when,  roused  from  his  reverie  by  the 
roadside,  he  saw  her  in  danger,  and  sprang  up  with  some 
vague  wild  determination  to  save  or  die  with  her. 

He  passed  a  comfortable  night,  and  the  next  morning 
the  autocratic  professor  allowed  Carlo  to  visit  him  for  a 
few  moments.  Aylmer  could  talk  but  little  ;  he  said  some- 
thing in  his  slow,  difficult  speech  about  the  trouble  he  was 
in  all  ways  to  his  good  friend.  Before  Carlo  could  answer 
he  caught  the  professor's  glance,  so  comically  ferocious  that 
he  had  much  ado  not  to  laugh. 


44  A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES. 

"He  wants  to  fret  over  my  holding  him  fast  in  my 
den,"  said  the  savant,  bestowing  a  second  scowl  of  intelli- 
gence on  Carlo,  who,  with  Italian  quickness,  perceived  that 
the  doctor  had  concealed  from  the  patient  the  fact  of  his 
being  in  Miss  Cameron's  house  lest  the  knowledge  should 
worry  him. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  haven't  you  out  at  the  villa,"  the 
marchese  observed,  "  but  you  couldn't  be  better  off  than 
in  the  clutches  of  our  ogre." 

"  Just  so  !"  returned  the  professor,  nodding  his  appre- 
ciation of  the  speaker's  acquiescence  in  his  wise  deception. 
"  However,  it  makes  no  difference  what  anybody  is  glad  or 
sorry  about.  I  propose  to  have  him  up  very  soon,  but  he 
has  got  to  belong  to  me,  body  and  soul — recollect  that, 
young  American  !  And  now  you  have  talked  more  than 
enough.  Magnoletti  may  take  himself  off,  and  don't  you 
so  much  as  wink  till  I  give  you  leave." 

Carlo  went  back  up  stairs  to  give  an  account  of  his  in- 
terview. 

"What  with  Nina  established  in  your  drawing-room 
and  poor  Aylmer  down  below — a  sister  already  provided 
for  nurse,  and  the  professor  evidently  intending  to  keep 
his  quarters  here,  I  think,  Miss  Cameron,  you  had  better 
open  the  house  as  a  public  hospital  and  be  done  with  it,"  he 
said. 

"  As  it  will  not  be  for  moral  or  rather  immoral  incura- 
bles, you  will  stand  no  chance  of  admittance,"  returned  his 
wife,  "  nor  will  Giulia  da  Rimini  either." 

"  Positively  the  first  time  I  have  heard  her  name 
to-day  !"  cried  he. 

"  She  will  be  here  before  it  ends — see  if  she  is  not," 
said  Nina.  "She  has  been  making  eyes  at  Aylmer  ever 
since  he  came  to  Florence." 

"  Nonsense,  Nina  !"  and  Carlo's  voice  sounded  a  little 
nettled. 

"  I  know  it  is  nonsense,  Carlo,  for  he  never  so  much  as 
looks  at  her  if  he  can  help  it.  He  does  not  share  your 
abnormal  tastes  ;  he  hates  black  women." 

"  He  tells  you  that  just  because  you  are  a  colorless  little 
thing,"  retorted  Carlo,  and  I'eceived  a  severe  pinch  for  his 
impertinence. 

Eliza  considered  the  whole  conversation  improper,  and 
sighed  over  Violet's  fondness  for  this  careless-tongued  pair, 


A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES.  45 

though  she  had  almost  as  great  a  weakness  for  them  her- 
self, in  spite  of  her  disapproval  of  their  talk  and  habits  of 
thought. 

Although  Miss  Cameron's  arrival  had  been  so  recent 
that  as  yet  she  had  paid  no  visits,  the  news  of  the  accident 
afforded  people  too  good  an  excuse  for  calling  to  await 
such  ceremony.  Not  only  many  of  her  friends  carne,  but 
numerous  persons,  mostly  waifs  from  the  American  and 
English  colonies,  took  that  opportunity  to  try  and  establish 
an  acquaintance,  or  at  least  renew  relations  with  Miss 
Bronson.  Few  of  the  visitors  saw  Violet,  but  Eliza 
appeared  and  received  so  many  kisses  from  enthusiastic 
Anglo-Saxon  ladies,  that  her  nose  felt  quite  tender.  She 
related  the  adventure  so  often,  that  she  succeeded  in  giving 
it  with  great  dramatic  effect,  and  tried  so  hard  to  explain 
how  it  happened  the  hero  was  lying  under  Violet's  roof, 
that  the  simple  facts  grew  into  a  mystery  which  would 
have  been  enough  to  ruin  the  reputation  of  a  dozen 
ordinary  women. 

But  common  rules  could  not  apply  to  the  conduct  of  a 
lady  so  rich  as  Violet  Cameron  ;  whatever  she  did  was  well 
done,  from  hiding  a  man  in  her  house  to  cutting  off  as 
many  heads  as  Bluebeard.  Women  might  slander  her ; 
might  believe  and  say  the  most  atrocious  things  as  they  did 
of  each  other,  but  they  would  bow  down  before  her  all  the 
same  and  lick  the  dust  at  her  feet — for  it  was  gold-dust. 

"  I  have  told  everybody  how  it  came  about,"  Eliza 
said,  triumphantly.  "  No  one  thinks  you  did  wrong, 
Violet  ;  it  is  such  a  relief  !" 

"  How  can  you  keep  from  strangling  her  ?"  cried  Nina, 
when  the  spinster  was  again  called  out  of  the  room.  "  Im- 
agine her  explanations  !" 

"  I  would  rather  not  !  But  no  matter  what  she  says,  if 
she  only  relieves  her  feelings.  I  am  very  fond  of  her  ;  it 
is  better  she  should  ruin  my  reputation  than  be  unhappy." 

Presently  a  visitor  was  announced  for  the  marchesa, 
and  into  the  salon  floated  Giulia  da  Rimini — dark,  haughty, 
handsome,  Roman-looking,  and  exquisitely-dressed. 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  she  would  come  !"  Nina  had  time  to 
whisper. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Cameron — my  darling  Nina  !"  cried  the 
duchess,  and  kissed  each  in  turn.  "  I  went  out  to  the  villa, 
Nina,  and  heard  you  came  here  yesterday.  I  feared  you 


46  A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES. 

were  worse  and  wanted  to  be  near  the  doctor.  My  alarm 
must  excuse  my  rushing  in  on  you,  Miss  Cameron,  in  this 
unceremonious  fashion." 

"  However  brought  about,  I  am  of  course  charmed  to 
receive  your  visit,"  said  Violet. 

"I  only  just  heard  of  the  accident,"  continued  the 
duchess.  "  Gherardi  was  inquiring  after  Mr.  Aylmer  as  I 
drove  up.  What  an  escape  you  had,  dear  Miss  Cameron — 

and  the  unfortunate  young Ah,  yes,  Nina,  you  are 

right  to  frown.  It  is  too  dreadful  to  talk  about.  But,  at 
least,  he  is  doing  well,  they  tell  me  ?" 

"  Better  than  could  have  been  expected,"  Nina  replied. 

The  duchess  uttered  more  flattering  and  pretty  speeches, 
and,  after  a  few  moments,  bowed  herself  out. 

"  Now,  why  did  she  come  ?"  questioned  Violet. 

" Bah  !"  cried  Nina,  contemptuously.  "She  had  heard 
of  Aylmer's  being  here.  I'd  wager  my  little  finger  she 
sees  him  before  she  leaves  the  house." 

"  Oh,  even  she  could  not  go  so  far  !" 

"Who  lives  will  see,"  said  Nina;  "and  if  I  were  to 
live  a  hundred  years,  and  she  too,  Giulia  could  never  do 
anything  to  astonish  me.  Mark  my  words,  she  will  visit 
Aylmer  !" 

"They  must  be  on  very  intimate  terms  for  her  to  risk 
such  a  step,"  Violet  answered,  with  a  sudden  haughty  inflec- 
tion in  her  voice. 

"Nothing  of  the  sort.  I  tell  you,  he  can't  endure  her  ! 
But  let  us  talk  of  something  else.  That  woman  makes  me 
ill  !  I  have  a  conviction  she  will  not  get  through  another 
season  without  a  scandal  that  must  put  her  out  of  the  pale  ; 
and  I  own  I  shall  not  be  sorry." 

Other  visitors  were  received,  and  Nina  forgot  the 
duchess  and  her  own  prophecy,  though  it  rankled  in 
Violet's  mind  ;  and  she  asked  herself  why,  since  neither 
the  lady  nor  Mr.  Aylmer  were  anything  to  her,  save  that 
he  was  perforce  a  guest  under  her  roof.  But  as  this  rose 
from  the  fact  that  he  had  1'isked  his  life  on  her  account,  to 
entertain  suspicions  of  him  would  be  very  unworthy. 
Still,  she  could  not  help  feeling  that  gratitude  to  a  man 
capable  of  yielding  to  Giulia  da  Rimini's  fascinations  would 
seem  a  galling  yoke. 

Perhaps  an  hour  later,  the  professor  appeared,  having 
promised  to  report  personally  to  the  two  ladies  after  his 


A    BOUQUET    OF    JESSAMINES.  47 

next  visit  to  his  patient.      He  entered    in  great   wrath,  ex- 
claiming : 

"I'll  not  have  this,  you  know!  If  I  am  to  cure  that 
fellow,  I'll  not  allow  his  room  to  be  poisoned  by  such  trash  ! 
It  must  have  been  one  of  you  sent  them  !  I  expected  bet- 
ter things  of  you  both." 

As  he  spoke  he  flung  a  bouquet  of  jessamines  on  the 
table  between  them.  Nina  stared  contemptuously  at  the 
flowers  for  an  instant,  then  burst  into  peals  of  laughter, 
exclaiming  : 

"Giulia's  bouquet!  She  had  it  in  her  belt,  and  the 
odor  nearly  suffocated  me.  Now,  Violet,  own  I  was  right  !" 

"  Whose  bouquet '?  What  do  you  say?"  growled  the 
professor. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Violet,  in  a  voice  so  cold  and  odd 
that  Nina  glanced  at  her  in  surprise,  and  stopped  laughing. 
"Please  throw  those  dreadful  things  out  of  the  window, 
professor.  The  smell  is  sickening." 

"Perfectly  so,"  added  Nina,  pretending  to  arrange  her 
hair,  but  watching  Violet  from  between  her  fingers. 

The  professor  opened  a  window,  and  flung  the  flowers 
away.  As  he  returned,  the  silence  struck  him  ;  and  he 
feared  that,  well  as  both  ladies  knew  him,  and  freely  as  they 
encouraged  his  brusque  modes  of  speech,  he  might  this  time 
have  annoyed  them  by  his  excitement. 

"  Have  I  said  something  to  offend  you  ?  Don't  mind. 
You  know  I'm  a  bear  ;  and  I've  a  horror  of  flowers  in  a 
sick-room,"  he  said,  with  a  look  of  comical  penitence  on  his 
ugly  face,  which  set  Nina  laughing  again. 

"Certainly  not,"  said  Violet. 

"  Only  don't  suspect  us  of  such  crimes,"  added  Nina. 
"  We've  neither  been  nor  sent  to  your  patient." 

"  Very  strange  !"  muttered  the  doctoi'.  "  The  sister 
saw  nobody  ;  but  then  she  had  fallen  to  praying,  and  when 
she  does  that,  she  wouldn't  know  if  a  whole  regiment,  horse 
and  foot,  tramped  iu  !" 

"  I  don't  suppose  your  wretched  prisoner  accused  us," 
said  Nina. 

"  He  was  in  no  state  to  tell  anything — muttering  and 
gabbling,  with  his  face  as  red  as  fire.  No  doubt  there  will 
be  the  very  deuce  to  pay  !" 

"  Let  us  hope  the  consequences  will  not  prove  serious," 


48  HER    FIRST     VISIT. 

said  Violet ;  and  while  she  and  the  professor  talked,  Nina 
sat  thinking. 

"  Is  she  offended  because  it  was  in  her  house  Giulia  be- 
haved so?  Offended  she  is  !  It  can't  be  on  the  man's  ac- 
count, for  she  never  saw  him  till  the  night  before  last  ! 
Well,  I'll  not  tease  her  ;  unless  she  mentions  the  matter,  I 
shall  not." 

When  they  were  left  alone,  Violet  did  not  make  any 
allusion  to  the  affair  ;  but  the  next  day,  out  of  sheer  idle- 
ness, Nina  began  turning  over  a  visiting-list  which  Violet 
had  been  correcting  from  her  old  Florentine  note-book,  and 
saw  a  heavy  black  line  drawn  across  the  name — Guilia, 
Duchess  da  Rimini. 


CHAPTER   V. 

HER    FIRST    VISIT. 

« 

WEEK  went  by.  Laurence  Aylmer  had  been 
very  ill  since  the  day  the  professor  found  the 
flowers  on  his  bed.  He  had  managed  during 
the  doctor's  absence  to  disarrange  his  bandages 
while  only  partially  conscious,  and  the  result 
was  a  cold  and  high  fever,  which  for  some  time  left  him  no 
lucid  interval. 

The  old  German  actually  lived  in  the  sick-room,  and 
certain  physicians,  who  did  not  like  him  and  considered 
that  in  taking  the  case  into  his  hands  he  had  interfered 
with  their  rights,  since  he  pretended  to  be  no  longer  a 
medical  practitioner,  declared  that  in  the  secrecy  of  that 
chamber  he  was  trying  all  manner  of  dreadful  experiments 
on  the  unfortunate  man. 

Of  course  these  rumor*,  originating  with  the  doctors, 
grew  into  positive  and  terrible-  tales  in  the  mouths  of  other 
people,  and  one  energetic  o'd  maid  from  Columbia  gave  a 
"tea"  for  the  express  purpose  of  expounding  her  views  in 
regard  to  the  matter.  Sir?  thought  the  American  ladies 
ought  to  interfere  in  behalf  of  their  countryman,  barba- 
rously tortured,  nay,  slowly  murdered,  under  the  hands  of 
this  heartless  German  savant,  who,  to  use  the  energetic 


HER    FIRST     VISIT.  49 

female's  own  words,  "was  capable  of  sacrificing  hecatombs 
of  humanity  in  pursuit  of  what  ho  termed  the  cause  of 
science."  She  proposed  appointing  a  committee  to  wait 
upon  the  professor,  and  tell  him  plainly  that  unless  he  would 
consent  to  call  a  consultation  of  physicians,  they,  the  coun- 
trywomen of  this  luckless  gentleman,  must  appeal  to  the 
American  Minister  in  Rome,  publish  letters  in  the  Tourist 
— call  Heaven  and  earth  to  witness  their  protest  against 
conduct  which  was  a  disgrace  to  the  latter  half  of  our 
glorious  century. 

Many  speeches  were  made,  and  a  great  deal  of  tea  and 
orgeat  drunk,  but  though  numerous  plans  of  action  were 
discussed,  even  to  an  assault  upon  the  palace  and  a  rescuing 
bodily  of  the  victim  by  the  Amazons — a  proposal  which 
originated  with  a  tiny  withered  spinster,  who,  in  spite  of 
her  size,  appeared  as  determined  as  if  animated  by  the  spirit 
of  Penthesilea — still  the  meeting  proved  a  failure,  so  far  as 
carrying  any  of  the  projects  into  execution  went. 

Poor  Eliza  Bronson  heard  all  the  news,  and  with  bitter 
tears  and  mournful  wails,  warned  her  friend,  and  was  driv- 
en nearly  frantic  by  the  laughter  of  Violet  and  Nina,  who 
at  once  informed  the  professor,  and  that  reckless  person 
laughed  far  louder  than  they. 

Nina  remained  Miss  Cameron's  guest.  Some  little  im- 
prudence had  inflamed  her  ankle  again,  and  the  professor 
condemned  her  to  another  week  of  repose,  threatening  to 
keep  her  in  a  supine  position  for  the  next  three  months  if 
she  did  not  obey. 

Carlo  came  and  went.  A  knot  of  Nina's  intimate  friends 
were  a  great  deal  at  the  house,  so  the  little  lady  had  amuse- 
ment ;  and  Violet,  still  beset  by  that  inexplicable  dislike 
for  solitude  and  reflection,  seemed  as  eager  for  society  as 
Nina  herself. 

Both  good  taste  and  sympathy  caused  the  ladies  to  re- 
frain from  anything  which  could  come  under  the  head  of 
gayeties,  though  of  course  outsiders  declared  that  "  revel- 
ings  and  orgies  went  on  in  the  palace,  while  the  professor's 
victim  groaned  under  the  same  roof,  helpless  in  the  octopus 
clutches  of  his  Teutonic  tormentor" — a  fine  phrase  which 
was  conceived  and  uttered  by  the  virgin  who  had  proposed 
an  onslaught  of  Amazons  on  behalf  of  the  martyr.  True, 
these  reports  of  unseemly  revels  were  contradicted  by  other 
tales,  that  Miss  Cameron  had  been  secretly  married  to  the 
3 


50  HER    FIRST     VISIT. 

sufferer,  that  he  was  not  in  the  house,  not  living  even,  and 
that  the  professor  was  essaying  some  new  mode  of  embalm- 
ing. But  in  Florence  it  is  not  difficult  for  people  to  believe 
a  dozen  stories,  diametrically  opposed  to  each  other,  at  one 
and  the  same  time,  and  it  had  been  long  since  the  various 
coteries  had  found  a  common  subject  of  interest  so  engross- 
ing and  so  dramatic. 

On  the  eighth  day  Aylmer  was  better,  and  Violet  Avent 
that  evening  to  a -concert  given  by  some  young  aspirant  for 
fame,  where  the  appearance  of  influential  persons  would  be 
even  more  important  than  their  money.  She  had  not  be- 
fore spent  the  evening  abroad,  and  hesitated  about  leaving 
Nina  to  Miss  Bronson's  society,  which  the  little  lady  did 
not  fully  appreciate — Carlo  being  absent  on  a  visit  to  an 
estate  he  owned  near  Perugia.  However,  Nina  declared 
that  if  her  hostess  stopped  at  home  she  would  render  her- 
self odious,  and  pleaded  so  hard  with  her  to  go,  that  Violet 
changed  her  mind  at  the  last  moment,  and  accompanied 
some  friends  who  called  for  her. 

Midnight  had  struck  when  she  returned.  As  she  was 
mounting  the  stairs,  the  professor  looked  out  of  the  apart- 
ment on  the  ground-floor  and  called  to  her. 

"  Can  I  speak  to  you  a  moment  ?"  he  inquired. 

"  Of  course,"  Violet  said  ;  and  bade  Antonio  go  on  and 
tell  Clarice  not  to  wait  up  any  longer.  She  saw  the 
professor  appeared  worried,  and  asked  quickly,  "Nothing 
wrong  ?  He — your  patient  is  not  worse  ?" 

"Not  seriously  worse,  perhaps  ;  but  the  fever  has  come 
back,  and  he  has  no  business  to  have  fever,"  returned  the 
professor,  in  an  injured  tone.  "The  obstinacy  of  human 
nature  is  really  something  stupendous  !  But  come  in  and 
sit  with  me,  please.  Miss  Bronson  is  doubtless  asleep,  and 
BO  can't  be  shocked  at  the  impropriety  of  your  visiting 
a  gay  Lothario  of  sixty-seven  at  this  late  hour.  I  have 
sent  the  sister  to  lie  down  for  awhile." 

Violet  laughed  and  yielded  to  his  whim,  as  she  fancied  it. 

Beyond  the  salon  they  entered  was  a  second  ;  then 
came  the  room  where  Aylmer  lay  ;  at  the  side  of  this,  one 
in  which  a  bed  had  been  arranged  for  the  professor  when- 
ever he  chose  to  remain. 

The  doors  were  open,  and  Violet  could  hear  the  murmur 
of  a  voice  from  the  sick  man's  chamber. 

"  Who  is  talking  to  him  ?"  she  asked,  in  surprise. 


HER    FIRST     VISIT.  51 

"  Why,  that's  himself  ;  he's  been  at  it  for  the  last  half- 
hour — mutter,  mutter  !"  growled  the  professor.  "  He  gab- 
bles about  seeing  the  carriage  on  the  brink  of  the  river.  If 
I  rouse  him  he  answers  sanely  enough,  but  in  a  moment 
begins  to  wander  again — talking  about  a  garden — places  in 
America — Lord  knows  what  !  I  thought  you  wouldn't 
mind  going  in  for  a  little  ;  perhaps  your  voice  would 
quiet  him.  In  that  sort  of  partial  delirium  sometimes 
a  mere  trifle  will  compose  a  patient,  if  it  happens  to  fall  in 
with  his  delusion." 

"  I  will  do  so,  of  course,"  Violet  answered  ;  "  but  are 
you  sure  that  seeing  me  will  not  agitate  him  still  more? 
We  are  such  entire  strangers " 

She  paused  abruptly,  her  utterance  checked  by  a 
thought  engrossing  as  it  was  sudden.  Strangers  ?  Why, 
it  seemed  as  if  they  had  known  one  another  for  years  ! 
Then  she  began  hastily  to  account  for  this  sensation  :  it 
rose  from  the  fact  that  his  accident  had  been  caused  by  his 
efforts  in  her  behalf  ;  from  his  having  lain  for  so  many 
days  under  her  roof  ;  from — but  the  professor  was  speaking, 
and  she  had  no  leisure  to  listen  to  her  own  absurd  imagin- 
ings, or  seek  solutions  thereof. 

"  That's  just  it — you  mustn't  startle  him.  You  are  a 
\voman  of  brains — ach  Gott !  what  a  different  world  it 
would  be  if  there  were  more  of  your  sort !  You  can  com- 
prehend what  I  want.  You  must  wait  till  he  begins  again 
about  a  lady,  and  flowers,  and  all  that  nonsense  ;  then  sit 
down  by  him — e*nter  into  his  delusion,  so  you  will  be  a  part 
of  it — you  see  ?" 

"  Yes,"  Violet  replied,  and  her  voice  sounded  cold. 

The  professor's  mention  of  the  jessamines  brought  to 
her  mind  that  rather  stern  criticism  of  the  wounded  man 
which  she  had  indulged  whenever  she  recollected  Giulia  da 
Rimini's  visit.  The  savant  had  evidently  forgotten  his 
own  outbreak  and  the  reason  of  his  annoyance.  She  had 
time  to  be  glad  of  this  obliviousness  on  his  part,  to  wonder 
why  she  was  glad.  Then  he  spoke  again,  and  all  the  while, 
through  the  swift  rush  of  her  fancies,  through  the  effort  to 
listen  to  her  companion's  words,  she  could  hear  the  sound 
of  that  painful  voice  from  the  sick-room,  monotonous,  low, 
yet  eager  and  troubled. 

"Of  course  you  understand,"  the  professor  continued 
approvingly  ;  "one  is  always  sure  you  can — that  is  the 


52  HER    FIRST     VISIT. 

pleasure  of  dealing  with  a  woman  like  you  !  Come  now, 
stand  where  he  can't  see  you  till  the  right  moment,  then  go 
in.  You  can  quiet  him — you  must  !  I  don't  wish  to  give 
any  narcotics  ;  I  depend  on  you." 

He  shook  his  head  fiercely  at  her,  and,  in  his  earnest- 
ness, seized  her  loose  sleeve,  quite  unconscious  of  his  rude- 
ness, and  hurried  her  through  the  adjoining  salon  to  the 
chamber  beyond. 

Violet  stood  still  upon  the  threshold  and  looked  in  ;  a 
large,  lofty  room,  whose  vaulted  roof  added  to  the  sense  of 
space  and  height,  decorated,  like  the  rest  of  the  suite,  with 
furniture  old  as  the  palace  itself.  A  lamp  burning  upon  a 
table  formed  an  island  of  light  in  the  center  of  the  cham- 
ber, and  cast  faint  rays  across  the  carved  bedstead  and 
damask  canopy.  At  first  Miss  Cameron  could  distinguish 
nothing  ;  she  closed  her  eyes  for  a  few  seconds.  When 
she  opened  them,  gradually  the  different  objects  became 
visible.  A  bronze  Moor,  holding  a  candelabra,  frowned  at 
her  near  the  door  ;  farther  on,  a  marble  nymph  peeped  out 
of  a  niche,  with  a  flower-vase  in  her  hand  ;  the  single- 
lighted  candle  of  the  Moor's  burden  struck  her  face.  She 
seemed  to  bestow  a  smirk  on  the  African,  and  cast  an  evil 
glance  at  Violet  from  the  corners  of  her  dead  eyes. 

The  island  of  light  in  the  middle  of  the  room  grew 
brighter  ;  Miss  Cameron  could  see  the  bed  distinctly.  The 
curtains  were  flung  back,  the  sick  man  lay  motionless  ;  she 
caught  the  feverish  glitter  of  his  eyes,  the  worn  outline  of 
his  countenance,  and  the  words  he  uttereM  in  that  weary, 
monotonous  voice  were  perfectly  audible. 

"She  promised  to  come — she  promised  !  I  am  so  tired. 
I  shall  never  be  done  counting  them — she  promised  !" 

The  professor,  standing  behind  Violet,  touched  her 
shoulder  in  sign  that  she  was  to  go  forward.  She  stepped 
softly  across  the  floor  and  sat  down  by  the  bed.  The  suf- 
ferer saw  her,  stretched  out  his  hand  aimlessly,  saying  : 

"  I  thought  you  had  gone  away  !  Don't  go  !  I  can 
smell  the  flowers  now  !  Ah,  you  have  taken  me  into  the 
garden.  I  was  so  tired  of  that  room  ;  it  is  cool  and  pleas- 
ant here." 

His  wandering  hand  rested  upon  hers — he  held  it  fast  ; 
his  eyes  closed  ;  a  smile  parted  his  lips  ;  he  lay  silent  for 
some  minutes.  The  professor  crept  back  into  the  adjoin- 
ing room.  Violet  did  not  stir. 


HER    FIRST     VISIT.  53 

Presently  Aylmer  looked  at  her  again. 

"  It  was  very  good  of  you  to  come,"  he  said  ;  "  I  want- 
ed yon  so  much." 

Did  he  know  what  he  was  saying?  He  spoke  so  com- 
posedly that  for  an  instant  Violet  thought  him  quite 
rational,  but  his  next  words  proved  her  mistake.  "  I  saw 
the  flowers — I  knew  when  you  came  in — I  wanted  to  speak 
— to  ask  you  to  stay  !  Then  you  were  gone,  and  the  flowers 
were  gone  too  ;  the  Moor  stole  them — he  steals  everything 
you  send  !  But  you  have  come  back  now  ;  you  have  come 
back  !" 

He  fancied  that  Giulia  da  Rimini  had  returned  !  Pie 
lifted  her  fingers  to  his  lips  ;  a  thrill  of  disgust  shook 
Violet  ;  she  felt  degraded — he  mistook  her  for  that  woman  ! 
She  snatched  her  hand  away. 

"  Don't  go,"  lie  moaned  ;  "  don't  leave  me  !" 

Violet  looked  up  and  saw  the  professor  in  the  doorway  ; 
he  made  a  warning  signal.  She  must  not  shrink  ;  she  must 
humor  the  sick  man's  odious  fancy  ;  repose  might  be  of 
vital  necessity.  Whatever  he  was — however  wicked,  she 
could  not  refuse  her  aid.  She  let  him  take  her  hand  again. 

"  You  will  stay  ?"  he  said.  She  did  not  answer.  "  She 
won't  speak  ;  she  won't  speak  !"  he  murmured  com- 
plainingly. 

"  I  am  here — I  will  stay,"  she  whispered,  though  the 
words  seemed  to  choke  her,  and  the  touch  of  his  fingers 
burned  like  fire.  He  talked  brokenly  on,  each  disconnected 
phrase  only  bringing  additional  proof  that  her  angry  dis- 
gust was  deserved. 

"  Are  you  here — are  you  here  ?  Don't  you  remember 
that  night?  I  want  to  tell  you  !  I  hate  that  Moor  ;  the 
old  man  said  he  was  your  husband  !  They  are  all  gone 
now  !  Yes,  say  it  over — say  it  over  !" 

And  so  he  fell  asleep  with  a  smile  on  his  lips,  still  hold- 
ing her  hand  fast.  She  dared  not  stir,  for  fear  of  disturb- 
ing him  ;  and  the  horror,  the  sense  of  degradation,  and 
mingled  therewith  a  sting  of  disappointment  and  pain,  as  if 
this  stranger  had  been  long  and  well  known,  and  she  had 
suddenly  learned  how  she  had  deceived  herself  in  regard  to 
him,  growing  each  instant  stronger.  It  was  all  odious, 
dreadful  ! 

At  last  he  turned  slightly  on  his  pillow,  and  his  fingers 
relaxed  their  grasp  ;  she  drew  hers  away,  rose,  and  went 


54  HER    FIRST     VISIT. 

noiselessly  out  of  the  room,  shuddering  from  head  to  foot 
as  if  she  had  escaped  from  something  noisome,  yet  still 
with  that* sensation  of  pain  and  regret — at  what?  Ah,  the 
question  was  impossible  to  answer  ! 

"It  has  succeeded  admirably,"  the  professor  said,  as  he 
followed  her  into  the  farther  salon.  "  lie  will  sleep  for 
hours  ;  you  managed  perfectly  !  A  quiet  night,  and  I  shall 
be  at  ease  about  him.  Yes,  yes,  we  are  on  the  right  road 
now." 

Violet  did  not  reply  ;  she  felt  giddy  and  faint.  She 
saw  a  carafe  of  water  on  the  table,  filled  a  glass  and  drank 
eagerly. 

"You  are  tired  ;  you  look  pale,"  said  the  professor, 
frowning  at  her  from  under  his  bushy  eyebrows.  "  Come  ; 
you  have  done  enough  for  this  time  ;  go  you  to  bed." 

"  Good-night,"  she  said. 

"  I  shall  give  you  my  arm  up  the  stairs " 

"  Good  heavens  !  because  you  have  two  patients  in  the 
house,  don't  think  I  must  be  ill  too,"  she  interrupted 
with  a  fretfulness  which  she  could  not  repress. 

"  Tut,  tut  !  don't  contradict  me  !"  cried  the  professor. 
"  When  I  say  I  shall  do  a  thing,  I  always  do  it !  I  mean 
to  give  you  my  arm  up  the  stairs." 

Violet  accepted  his  courtesy,  just  to  avoid  further 
words. 

"  I  am  well  satisfied,"  continued  the  professor.  "  To- 
morrow our  patient  shall  begin  a  new  life.  Fraulein,  you 
are  a  very  sensible  person." 

"I  am  not ;  and  if  I  could  be,  I  wouldn't  !"  exclaimed 
Violet,  and  then  began  to  laugh,  though  she  was  shivering 
still. 

"  You  are  nervous,"  pursued  the  professor,  with  a  little 
disdain  audible  in  his  voice.  "It  is  an  odd  thing  that, 
though  women  can  sometimes  be  efficient  in  a  crisis,  their 
nerves  always  suffer  for  it." 

"  A  man's  opinion  !"  retorted  Violet.  "  You  may  be 
wisdom  incarnate,  but  you  will  never  understand  women, 
professor  ;  so  you  may  as  well  give  up  the  effort." 

"  God  forbid  that  I  should  lose  my  time  making  it  !" 
said  he,  with  pious  fervor. 

They  passed  through  the  entrance-hall,  and  up  the  stairs  ; 
the  professor  jesting  and  laughing  in  his  low  ponderous 
fashion — Violet  trying  to  laugh  and  speak  gayly  in  reply. 


HER    FIRST     VISIT.  65 

In  the  vast  antechamber — large  enough  to  hold  a 
modern  house — they  saw  Antonio,  the  trustworthy,  fast 
asleep  on  a  medieval  settle,  as  hard  and  uncomfortable  as 
it  was  picturesque  and  valuable. 

"  I  can't  believe  in  your  dreadful  theories  that  men  have 
been  evolved  from  apes,  but  I  can  believe  the  vital  princi- 
ple in  that  faithful  creature  has  been  in  a  Newfoundland 
dog,"  said  Violet. 

She  dropped  the  professor's  arra,  and  was  about  to 
wake  Antonio,  when  an  exclamation  from  the  savant 
checked  her. 

"  Ten  thousand  devils  !"  he  growled  ;  but  the  surprise 
in  his  voice  formed  an  excuse  for  the  ejaculation. 

Violet's  eyes  followed  his  gesture.  In  the  doorway  of 
the  salon  a  human  head  appeared,  wrapped  in  a  scarlet 
shawl.  Two  wild  orbs  glared  at  the  pair  for  an  instant, 
then  the  vision  vanished. 

Repeating  his  unseemly  outburst,  the  professor  rushed 
forward,  and  Violet  hurried  after. 

In  an  easy-chair  sat  Eliza  Bronson,  her  head  wrapped  in 
the  red  shawl  ;  her  right  hand  uplifted,  and  grasping  an 
empty  phial. 

"I  have  poisoned  myself,"  she  said,  in  a  voice  where 
diverse  emotions  found  vent — fear  and  a  sort  of  reproach- 
ful triumph  being  pre-eminent. 

"  Great  heavens  !"  cried  Violet.  "  What  do  you 
mean  ?" 

"  I — have — poisoned — myself,"  repeated  Eliza,  separat- 
ing the  words  by  pauses,  in  order  to  give  them  increased 
emphasis. 

The  doctor  darted  upon  the  phial,  seized  it,  smelled  it, 
and  exclaimed  : 

"  If  you  dare  to  have  hysterics,  I'll  let  you  die,  as  sure 
as  my  name  is  Schmidt !" 

"  Violet,  perhaps  you  will  listen  to  my  last  words,"  said 
Eliza,  bestowing  a  glance  of  scorn  upon  the  professor. 

"  Now,  what  do  you  think  you  have  taken  ?"  asked  he. 

"  I  know  !  Madame  Magnoletti's  liniment  !  You 
ought  to  be  aware  of  its  contents.  It  was  your  prescrip- 
tion," said  Eliza. 

"  I  mean,  what  antidote  ?" 

c<  Everything  !  It  is  too  late  !  The  white  of  an  egg — 
but  that  is  for  arsenic  !  Some  cold  tea — no  matter  !  Oh, 


56  HER    FIRST     VISIT. 

Violet,  you  were  down  in  that  man's  room  !  I  heard  you. 
Do  not  deny  it  !" 

"  Then  why  didn't  you  come  after  us  ?"  cried  the  pro- 
fessor. 

"  Sir,"  said  she,  "  I  can  die,  but  I  cannot  be  indeli- 
cate !" 

The  professor  smelled  at  the  bottle  again.  Something 
in  his  face  assured  Violet  that  Miss  Bronson's  fears  were 
uncalled  for,  but  the  professor's  words  were  not  reassuring. 

"  Why  did  you  take  poison  ?"  he  asked. 

"  I  had  a  frightful  neuralgia.  I  caught  up  the  phial, 
and  swallowed  the  contents,  thinking  it  was  my  mixture. 
The  instant  I  had  done  so  I  perceived  my  error.  I  looked 
at  the  bottle,"  continued  Eliza,  in  an  awful  tone.  "  I  rec- 
ognized it  as  that  which  held  the  marchesa's  liniment, 
though  how  it  came  in  my  room  I  know  not." 

Violet  regarded  the  professor.  His  face  remained 
inscrutable  as  that  of  the  Sphinx.  Eliza  leaned  back  in 
her  chair,  and  gasped  in  majestic  resignation. 

"  Salt  and  water,"  pronounced  the  professor,  medita- 
tively. 

"  I  have  taken  a  pint  !"  cried  she,  triumphantly. 

"  Then  in  a  few  moments  you  will  be  very  sick,"  said 
he  ;  "  at  least,  I  hope  so.  If  not,  we  will  think  of  some 
other  remedy  ;  but  you  have  drunk  as  good  a  simple  anti- 
dote as  any.  We  must  wait  a  little." 

Eliza  turned  her  back  upon  him. 

"  Violet,"  she  said,  "  it  is  a  solemn  thought  that  before 
dawn  breaks  I  may  be  where  I  shall  hear  the  cherubs 
sing." 

"  Terrible,  if  they  scream  like  human  cherubs,"  said  the 
professor.  "  Why,  you  might  as  well  talk  about  fairies  as 
such  personages  !  Miss  Bronson,  you  will  be  resolved  into 
the  elements — so  much  hydrogen,  so  much  oxygen " 

"  Peace,  railer  !"  broke  in  Eliza. 

"  I  suppose  you  would  object  to — to — afterward — I 
mean — to  autopsy,"  said  the  professor,  in  an  insinuating 
tone,  waving  his  right  hand  in  the  air,  as  fancying  that  it 
held  a  scalpel. 

"  Violet,  do  you  hear  ? — and  I  still  living  !  In  my  very 
hearing  he  proposes  that  sacrilege  !"  moaned  Eliza. 

"My  dear  professor,  do  tell  her  that  she  is  not  poi- 
soned," said  Violet,  appealingly. 


HER    FIRST     VISIT.  57 

He  held  out  the  bottle  in  answer,  with  a  look  so  tragic 
that  Eliza  began  to  realize  the  reality  of  what  she  was 
rather  playing  at,  yet  from  first  to  last  had  been  in  earnest 
about — and  though  this  is  a  very  unintelligible  sentence,  no 
other  language  would  express  her  feelings. 

"  Do  not  ask  him  to  deceive  me,"  sobbed  she. 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  professor.  "  But  later,  when  it's  all 
over,  when  your  so-called  self  is  resolved  into  the  ele- 
ments  " 

"  Heathen  !"  groaned  Eliza,  drying  her  eyes.  A  peti- 
tion for  him  to  make  some  further  essay  of  skill  had  been 
upon  her  lips,  but  his  heretical  speech  roused  her  wrath 
and  brought  back  her  courage. 

"  After  that,"  pursued  the  professor,  unmoved  and 
deaf,  "  would  you  permit,  in  the  cause  of  science,  that 
autopsy " 

Eliza  interrupted  him  by  a  shriek. 

"  I'll  not  be  autop — top — there's  no  such  word  as  autop- 
ticized,"  she  cried,  with  her  school-teaching  instincts  strong 
upon  her  even  then.  "  But  I  mean,  whatever  the  word  to 
express  it  may  be,  that  my  lifeless  frame  shall  not  become 
the  victim  of  your  sacrilegious  experiments.  Unless  my 
friend — she  whom  I  have  called  my  friend — will  promise,  I 
leave  her  house  this  instant.  There  must  be  some  roof 
beneath  which  my  corpse  can  lie  safe  from  your  nefarious 
designs." 

''Schnapps  !"  exclaimed  the  professor,  so  abruptly  and 
with  such  energy  that  he  startled  Violet  even  ;  as  for  Eliza, 
she  bounded  in  her  chair  as  if  she  had  been  electrified. 

"What?"  she  shrieked,  not  catching  the  word,  and 
afraid  he  had  pronounced  some  dreadful  sentence  of  doom. 

"  A  sure  remedy.  I  never  thought  of  it  till  now.  Wait, 
I'll  be  back  in  a  minute  !"  and  away  rushed  the  professor. 

Eliza  rolled  her  head  and  winked  her  eyes.  This  sud- 
den excitement  on  the  professor's  part  made  her  certain  she 
was  in  bad  case  indeed. 

"Violet,"  she  said  faintly,  "think  how  it  would  be  with 
me  if  at  a  moment  like  this  I  had  not  a  sure  faith,  a  cer- 
tainty of  being  among  the  elect,  to  give  me  support." 

Whatever  the  dose  she  had  swallowed,  it  had  evidently 
affected  Eliza's  brain.  Violet  hastened  into  the  anteroom 
when  she  heard  the  old  German's  step. 

"In  the  name  of  goodness,  what  has  the  poor  creature 
8* 


58  HER    FIRST     VISIT. 

taken  ?"  she  asked,  meeting  the  professor  with  a  square 
bottle  under  his  arm. 

" Nothing  of  consequence,"  he  answered.  "There  was 
laudanum  in  it  ;  you  know  even  a  few  drops  affect  her. 
The  dose  has  gone  to  her  head,  and  now  I  propose  to  send 
a  glass  of  schnapps  after  it ;  then  she  will  go  to  bed  and 
sleep  like  a  top." 

"And — and  your  patient?"  Violet  asked  hesitatingly. 

"Oh,  he  instill  sound — likely  to  stay  so.  The  sister  is 
sitting  by  him,"  said  the  professor.  "At  present,  our  duty 
is  towards  your  friend  Elizabeth — Eliza,  or  whatever — and 
do  our  duty  we  must."  He  hurried  into  the  salon,  crying, 
"Here  we  are  !  This  is  the  little  fat  gentleman  that  means 
to  save  your  life,  my  Miss  Bronson  ;"  and  he  brandished 
the  square  bottle  before  the  spinster's  eyes. 

"  What  is  he  giving  me  ?"  moaned  Eliza,  sleepily.  "  Vio- 
let, I  feel  a  strange  drowsiness,  I  see  double.  Oh  !  oh  !  it 
is  the  end  !" 

"  Dominus  vobiscum,"  chanted  the  professor,  in  a  deep 
bass  voice,  as  he  began  to  pour  the  sparkling  liquid  into  a 
goblet. 

"  Do  go  away,"  said  Violet,  and  took  the  bottle  from 
him,  concealing  her  face  so  that  Eliza  might  not  be  shocked 
or  hurt  by  her  irrepressible  laughter. 

She  mixed  a  little  of  the  spirits  with  a  judicious  quan- 
tity of  water,  and  gave  it  to  the  spinster,  who  drank,  and 
in  a  few  moments  grew  both  courageous  and  dizzy. 

"  Sir,  you  have  saved  my  life,"  she  said,  turning  towards 
the  professor  with  majesty  tempered  by  tenderness,  while 
the  old  sinner  stood  looking  at  her  and  rubbing  his  hands 
in  glee  ;  "  you  have  saved  my  life — I  thank  you  !  I  abhor 
your  principles,  I  repudiate  your  doctrines,  but  I  am  grate- 
ful for  your  care." 

"Good  !"  chuckled  the  professor  ;  "  schnapps  forever  !" 

"Violet,"  continued  Eliza,  "  I  love  you,  but  I  shudder 
over  your  future  !  I  warn  you  now  that  if  you  linger  in 
this  unhallowed  land,  and  if  you  do  not  relinquish  Mari- 
olatry,  you  will  lose  your  soul — lose  your  soul.  Ifis"  and 
she  pointed  a  finger  of  dreadful  warning  at  the  professor, 
"  his  is  lost  already." 

She  disappeared  ;  went  straight  to  her  room,  and  as  the 
professor  had  prophesied,  slept  sweetly  till  morning. 


LA    BELLE    SAMARITAINE.  69 

CHAPTER   VI. 
LA   BELLE  SAMARITAIKE. 

NLY  the  next  day  Giulia  da  Rimini  again  pre- 
sented herself. 

Miss  Cameron  was  seated  with  Nina  in  the 
salon  she  had  appropriated  to  her  guest,  and,  as 
ill-luck  would  have  it,  Carlo  had  entered  a  few 
moments  before. 

Nina  had  a  headache,  and  Violet  was  bathing  her  fore- 
head with  eau-de-Cologne,  when  her  maid  brought  in  the 
duchess's  card.  The  marchesa  made  a  little  grimace  as  she 
read  the  name,  and  handed  the  bit  of  coronetted  paste- 
board to  her  friend,  whispering  : 

"  One  must  receive  her !" 

"  The  visit  is  for  you,"  Violet  answered  in  the  same 
tone,  rising  as  she  spoke  ;  "  there  is  no  reason  why  I 
should  stop.  She  does  not  come  to  see  me — I  have  not 
returned  her  call." 

But  Nina  caught  her  dress  and  pulled  her  down  upon  the 
sofa  again,  with  an  eager,  supplicating  look,  while  her  lips 
inaudibly  framed  the  entreaty  : 

"  Stay— do  stay  !" 

"  What  are  you  two  talking  about  ?"  called  Carlo  from 
the  table,  where  he  sat  trying  some  combination  of  cards  ; 
"  who  is  your  visitor  ?" 

"  He  will  go  away  with  her  if  we  don't  let  her  come 
up,"  Nina  murmured  rapidly.  "  If  you  vex  her,  she  will 
punish  me.  Wait  till  I  am  gone  before  you  take  any  de- 
cisive step." 

Violet  stared  in  astonishment,  but  the  tears  in  the  little 
woman's  eyes  softened  her,  and  she  bowed  acquiescence. 

"  Have  you  both  lost  your  tongues  ? "  asked  the 
marchese. 

Violet  treated  him  to  a  contemptuous  glance  which 
escaped  his  short  sight,  but  Nina  caught  it  and  muttered  : 

"  Oh,  don't !"  Then  she  added  aloud  to  her  maid, 
"  Tell  madame  I  am  not  well  this  morning,  but  I  will  see 
her." 


60  LA    BELLE    SAMARITAINE. 

"  What  madame  ?"  demanded  the  persistent  Carlo. 

"  The  Duchess  da  Rimini !  As  yon  hate  women's  gossip 
you  had  better  run  away,"  said  Violet,  quite  savagely. 

Carlo  laughed,  put  up  his  glass,  glanced  at  the  speaker, 
and  then  at  Nina. 

"Heaven  help  us!"  cried  he;  "  how  have  I  offended 
you,  Miss  Cameron?  You  snubbed  me  in  such  a  wife-like 
tone  that  I  had  to  look  twice  to  be  certain  it  was  not  my 
legal  guardian  who  spoke." 

"  Your  legal  guardian  is  more  amiable  than  I,"  returned 
Violet,  affecting  to  laugh,  for  Nina's  eyes,  full  of  supplica- 
tion, were  still  upon  her  ;  "I  am  in  one  of  my  bad  moods, 
when  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  question  irritates  me." 

"  Carlo,"  said  Nina,  speaking  so  gayly  that  Violet  won- 
dered at  her  self-control,  "  if  you  know  any  one  of  her  ad- 
mirers who  means  to  risk  his  fate  to-day,  pray  warn  him, 
not  to  venture." 

"  It  would  only  be  Christian  charity,"  he  replied,  let  his 
lorgnon  drop,  and  went  back  to  his  cards. 

If  there  had  been,  as  Violet  fancied,  a  little  suspicion  in 
his  face,  it  died  out  when  Nina  spoke  in  that  natural  way, 
accompanying  her  words  with  one  of  her  childish  bursts  of 
laughter. 

"So,"  thought  Violet,  "  Master  Carlo  has  teased  her,  has 
he?  Well,  he  never  shall  again,  on  that  woman's  account  ! 
Make  your  visit,  madame  the  duchess  !  I  never  expected 
to  be  glad  to  see  you  ;  but  this  time  I  am — I  am  indeed  !" 

She  rose,  went  over  to  the  table  and  stood  behind  the 
marchese's  chair,  apparently  absorbed  in  the  cards  spread 
out  upon  the  cloth,  and  asking  some  question  in  regard  to 
them. 

Madame  da  Rimini  was  announced,  and  swept  into  the 
room  with  her  customary  slow,  majestic  tread. 

"  My  poor  Nina — my  dearest  Nina  !  Still  tied  fast  to 
that  odious  sofa  !  Heavens,  it  is  too  cruel !"  she  cried, 
moving  towards  the  couch. 

There  was  the  sound  of  a  kiss  ;  Nina  had  leisure  to 
respond,  and  the  duchess  to  utter  more  sweet,  condoling 
words,  before  Violet  gave  any  sign  of  having  observed  the 
visitor's  entrance  or  moved  so  as  to  permit  Carlo  to  rise. 
She  turned  ;  the  duchess  was  regarding  her,  endeavoring 
to  look  as  if  now  she  had  leisure  to  see  Miss  Cameron,  but 
with  another  expression  visible  in  her  face,  try  as  she  might 


LA    BELLE    SAMARITA1NE.  61 

to  hide  it,  a  certain  wondering  fear  if  it  were  possible  a 
slight  could  befall  her. 

Violet  made  a  low  obeisance ;  but  in  spite  of  her 
gracious  manner,  no  woman  could  have  failed  to  understand 
her  hostile  intentions. 

"  Si  matinale  et  si  belle,  madame  la  duchesse  !  "  she  cried. 
"  How  good  of  you  to  come  so  often  to  see  the  marchesa  in 
her  imprisonment  !  You  are  a  true  sister  of  charity  in 
your  kindness  to  the  wounded  and  suffering." 

A  faint  quiver  disturbed  the  duchess's  firm  mouth,  but 
almost  imperceptible  as  it  was.  Nina  caught  it.  She  waited 
in  a  thrill  of  pleasurable  expectation.  Violet  meant  to  deal 
the  odious  creature  some  cruel  blow,  and  Violet  would  do 
it  neatly  and  well — the  Russian  could  trust  her. 

But  though  the  duchess  feared  that  her  little  secret  had 
been  discovered,  she  did  not  intend  to  be  stabbed  by  this 
impertinent  American,  if  her  well-trained  skill  could  parry 
the  thrust. 

"  A  visit  to  so  old  and  valued  a  friend  as  the  marchesa 
could  scarcely  come  under  that  head,  chdre  demoiselle"  she 
replied,  with  a  supercilious  little  smile  which  put  Violet 
outside  the  pale  of  such  intimacy  as  pointedly  as  words 
could  have  done. 

The  two  women  of  course  understood  her  meaning,  but 
it  was  Greek  to  Carlo  in  his  masculine  dullness,  though  he 
perceived  that  matters  were  not  going  smoothly  between 
the  duchess  and  Violet.  He  glanced  from  one  to  the  other, 
then  stole  a  furtive  look  at  his  wife  ;  but  Niiia,  busy 
arranging  her  cushions,  appeared  as  innocent  as  a  dove. 

"  No  matter  what  head  her  visit  comes  under,  I  can't 
see  what  I  have  done  that  the  duchess  should  refuse  to 
notice  me,"  he  said  hastily,  moving  forward  as  he  spoke. 

"  Ah,  are  you  there,  marchese  ?"  returned  she  in  her 
indolent  voice,  vouchsafing  him  a  glance  very  different 
from  that  which  she  had  bestowed  upon  Violet.  Sunshine 
was  not  softer  than  the  smile  he  received  ;  a  lance  not 
sharper  than  the  look  shot  at  Miss  Cameron.  She  sank  into 
a  seat  and  extended  him  the  tips  of  her  daintily-gloved 
fingers,  which  he  kissed  in  his  graceful  Italian  fashion. 

"  And  what  news  of  the  match  ?">^  asked  eagerly. 
"  Is  it  to  come  off  or  not?"  ^f 

"  Yes  ;  I  believe  it  is  decided  for  Saturday." 

"  What  match  ?"  Nina  inquired. 


62  LA    BELLE    SAMARITAINE. 

"Between  Marco  Goldoni's  horse  and  one  of  Harry 
Stanhope's,"  Carlo  explained. 

"  And  I  have  dozens  and  dozens  of  gloves  on  it,"  cried 
the  duchess,  in  the  same  pretty,  eager  way.  "  Marchese, 
do  tell  me  that  Marco's  gray  will  win  !" 

But,  interested  as  she  appeared,  Nina  knew  she  had 
rushed  into  the  subject  merely  to  hinder  Miss  Cameron 
from  speaking.  The  little  woman  chafed  inwardly  that  the 
thrust  she  felt  confident  Violet  had  meant  to  deal  should 
be  so  easily  prevented,  and  for  Carlo  to  have  aided  the 
duchess,  even  unintentionally,  doubled  Nina's  annoyance. 

During  some  moments  the  trotting-match  was  enthu- 
siastically talked  of  ;  Nina  took  her  share  in  the  conversa- 
tion, but  Violet  sat  aloof,  the  visitor's  own  words  giving 
her  the  right  to  consider  that  she  had  no  more  to  do  with 
playing  hostess  than  if  she  had  met  the  lady  under  the 
marchesa's  roof. 

Now,  if  Griulia  had  left  matters  on  this  fooling,  she 
might  perhaps  have  rendered  it  impossible  for  Miss  Came- 
ron to  hit  her  with  a  buttonless  foil ;  but  that  lady's  cour- 
teous, yet  palpable  negation  of  any  concern  in  her  visit, 
irritated  the  Sicilian  beyond  endurance,  and  nrged  her 
imprudently  on  to  be  the  assailant  in  a  second  clashing  of 
swords,  convinced  that  if  the  Amei'ican  had  been  cognizant 
of  her  little  escapade,  she  would  have  betrayed  the  fact  on 
their  first  encounter. 

Unfortunately  for  Giulia  she  did  not  understand 
Violet,  and  rushed  on  her  fate — that  of  being  exposed 
before  Carlo.  Some  remark  of  Miss  Cameron's,  in  answer 
to  a  question  from  Nina,  afforded  the  duchess  a  delightful 
opportunity  to  sneer  at  America  and  the  freedom  granted 
unmarried  women  in  that  country. 

"  It  seems  odd  to  us  Latins,"  said  she  in  her  sweetest 
voice,  and  one  must  have  heard  an  Italian  utter  a  mechan- 
cete  to  form  an  idea  of  the  exquisite  perfection  of  tone  and 
manner,  "but  we  are  so  antiquated,  so  prejudiced,  so  igno- 
rant, we  European  women,  compared  with  the  dazzling 
transatlantic  beauties  !"  She  addressed  Nina,  but  by  an 
indescribable  something,  for  she  made  no  gesture,  rendered 
the  compliment  tp  American  women  a  tribute  of  special 
admiration  and  plicate  mockery  to  Violet  Cameron  her- 
self. "  How  one  envies  the  brilliant  creatures !  One 
might  admit  their  supremacy  in  point  of  loveliness  and 


LA    BELLE    SAMAR1TAINE.  63 

wit,  and  still  be  patient,  but  it  is  the  liberty  allowed 
them  which  irks  us,  held  in  bondage  by  tiresome  old 
customs." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  Nina,  just  to  push  Giulia  forward  to 
IKT  doom,  ready,  Russian-like,  to  enjoy  her  enemy's 
defeat  the  more  from  having  feared  that  it  would  fail. 
"  You  are  right,  duchess  ;  but  still,  would  such  freedom 
suit  our  ideas  ?" 

"Ah,  that  is  the  question!  I  am  afraid  we  glory  in 
our  slavery  to  custom  ;  it  is  ingrained  in  our  natures. 
Still,  one  envies  the  Americans  all  the  same  !  One 
would  like  to  hate  them,  but,  being  women,  we  appreciate 
their  fascinations  too  thoroughly  to  do  that." 

"  Upon  my  word,  Fleur  Violette,  that  pretty  speech 
deserves  your  best  courtesy,"  cried  Carlo,  really  believing 
that  the  duchess  desired  to  be  especially  agreeable. 

"Oh,  a  man!"    was  Nina's  thought. 

"  But,  duchess,"  asked  Violet,  "  what  do  you  so  par- 
ticularly envy  us  Americans  ?" 

"  I  have  said — the  freedom  granted  our  sex  in  your 
native  land." 

"  Surely,  once  married,  an  Italian  woman  is  free 
enough,"  said  Violet ;  and  the  duchess  saw  her  own  error, 
but  could  "not  remedy  it. 

"  When  freedom  comes  too  late  !"  sighed  she,  hoping 
to  silence  Violet  by  the  difficulty  of  finding  any  answer 
with  a  sting  in  it  which  would  not  appear  a  rudeness. 

"  How  ?"  exclaimed  Miss  Cameron.  "  Freedom  cannot 
come  too  late  !" 

Giulia  shook  her  stately  head,  saying  : 

"  Ah,  Nina  darling,  mademoiselle  argues  as  an  unmarried 
lady  naturally  would  !  She  does  not  know  those  dreadful 
tyrants  as  we  do,"  waving  two  fingers  towards  Carlo,  and 
giving  him  a  smile,  as  she  spoke. 

"  Oh,"  said  Carlo,  "  Miss  Cameron  is  a  cruel,  icy-hearted 
creature,  utterly  indifferent  even  to  attractions  like  mine." 

"  There  may  be  a  reason  for  that,"  laughed  the  duchess. 
"You  must  not  forget  the  interesting  invalid  below  stairs  ! 
By  the  way,  how  is  Mr.  Aylmer  this  morning  ?" 

"  Better,"  said  Nina  and  Carlo,  speaking  at  once 

"  Better,"  repeated  Violet,  laughing  gayly  as  she  spoke. 
"  But  take  care,  duchess,  that  you  content  yourself  with 


64.  LA    BELLE    SAMARITAINE. 

inquiring  here  !  That  cross  old  professor  is  lying  in  wait  ! 
Oh,  if  you  had  seen  him  the  other  day  dash  up  here,  and 
shake  your  pretty  bunch  of  jessamines  in  our  faces,  accus- 
ing us  of  trying  to  poison  his  patient,  when  Nina  could  not 
leave  her  sofa,  and  I  could  not  dream  of  intruding  into  the 
lion's  den,  being  an  American  woman  in  a  foreign  land — 
and  unmarried  !" 

Blush  ?  Yes,  the  duchess  did,  through  all  her  rouge  ! 
Carlo  gave  her  one  furious  glance,  and  began  to  rearrange 
his  cards  ;  Nina  nursed  her  foot,  in  order  to  hide  her  face, 
conscious  that  its  triumph  would  not  bear  exposure  ;  Violet 
sat  calm  as  a  summer  morning. 

"  Marchese,"  she  added,  "  did  I  not  tell  you  the  duchess 
was  a  good  Samaritan  ?  But,  alas,  in  our  century  Samari- 
tans meet  with  a  poor  reward  !  The  professor  still  vows  that 
her  kind  visit  to  Mr.  Aylmer  retarded  his  recovery  by  at 
least  a  fortnight." 

The  duchess — not  quick-witted,  though  shrewd — tried 
to  laugh  ;  Carlo  made  a  still  more  miserable  pretense  at 
merriment  ;  Nina  remained  occupied  with  her  foot ;  Violet's 
smiling  serenity  knew  no  change. 

"  Warning  !"  cried  Carlo,  somewhat  too  bitterly. 
"Don't  play  the  Samaritan — one  is  not  appreciated." 

"  Don't  be  found  out,  you  mean,  else  the  professors  fall 
upon  you,"  Miss  Cameron  gayly  amended,  with  a  glance  at 
the  duchess  which  sent  the  Sicilian's  blood  up  to  boiling- 
heat. 

Before  any  additional  words  could  be  spoken  by  either 
of  the  group,  Antonio  announced  fresh  visitors — witty  Lady 
Ilarcourt,  bringing  in  her  train  Gherardi,  Harry  Stanhope, 
and  several  other  men. 

"  I  knew  if  we  sent  up  our  names  we  should  not  be  ad- 
mitted," cried  her  ladyship.  "So  I  persuaded  these  cowards 
to  help  me  storm  the  citadel." 

There  followed  a  torrent  of  merry  talk.  In  the  midst 
of  it,  after  trying  unsuccessfully  to  take  a  part,  appear  at 
ease,  and  at  the  same  time  soften  Carlo  by  sundry  beseech- 
ing glances,  to  which  he,  obdurate  as  a  Trojan,  paid  no  at- 
tention, Madame  da  Rimini  rose. 

"  Going  to  leave  poor  Nina  already  ?"  questioned  Violet, 
sweetly. 

The  duchess  turned  on  her.     The  enamel  of  politeness 


LA    BELLE    SAMARITAINE.  65 

cracked  in  the  heat  of  her  wrath,  and  gave  a  glimpse  of  the 
coarse  virago  under. 

"  I  have  a  thousand  things  to  do,"  she  replied  ;  and  her 
voice  was  so  sharp  that  everybody  looked  up,  but  she  strug- 
gled in  vain  to  subdue  nature.  "I  shall  come  again  when 
I  may  be  of  some  use  to  rny  friend." 

"  Samaritaine  tot/jours,"  said  Violet,  and  that  wretched 
Carlo  laughed,  looking  full  in  the  duchess's  face  the  while. 

The  luckless  Giulia  stood  dumb  for  an  instant. 

"  Stanhope,"  said  Carlo,  "  give  madame  your  arm  to  her 
carriage  ;  but  take  Paulo  with  you  to  protect  her  from 
your  fascinations,  and  to  make  Lady  Harcourt  and  my  wife 
say  bitter  things  of  her,  out  of  sheer  jealousy,  on  account 
of  her  cavaliers." 

Now  the  Englishman  was  elderly  and  unimpressionable, 
and  Paulo  was  the  duchess's  own  brother-in-law,  whom  she 
hated  with  a  hatred  surpassing  even  that  of  women. 

Nina  metaphorically  flapped  the  wings  of  her  soul  in 
delight,  but  poor  Carlo  was  only  a  man,  and  hastened  to 
impair  the  perfect  retribution  he  had  brought  about. 

'•  I  am  master  of  the  house  for  the  nonce,"  he  added, 
"  and  cannot  leave  Miss  Cameron  exposed  to  the  wiles  and 
enormities  of  these  other  male  monsters." 

"  Oh,  you  goose  !"  Nina  mentally  groaned. 

The  duchess,  so  pale  with  anger  that  the  spots  of  rouge 
showed  like  a  blotch  on  either  cheek,  seized  the  advantage 
given  by  Carlo's  superfluous  words. 

"  Miss  Cameron  will  lend  you  to  me  to  the  foot  of  the 
stairs,"  said  she.  "  I  am  afraid  of  the  dangerous  Colonel, 
and  Paulo  came  on  purpose  to  make  love  to  Nina.  You 
can't  in  decency  refuse  him  three  minutes  free  from  your 
Argus  eyes." 

"  Mille  diables !  she  has  the  best  of  it  after  all  !" 
thought  the  little  Russian. 

But  the  Muscovite  reckoned  defeat  without  taking  into 
consideration  the  American  reserve,  bent  on  punishing  the 
offender  to  the  uttermost. 

"  Go,  Carlo,  my  friend,"  said  Violet  ;  "  see  the  duchess 
safe  to  her  carriage.  The  professor  lies  in  wait  for  her, 
and  if  she  so  much  as  looks  towards  the  door  of  the  den 
where  he  is  torturing  his  victim,  he  will  fall  upon  her." 

"  What,  what !"  cried  Lady  Harcourt.     "  Giulia,  have 


86  LA    BELLE    SAMAEITAINE. 

you  been  trying  to  prevent  that  New  World  barbarian  from 
dying  in  peace  ?" 

"  On  the  contrary,"  said  Violet,  quick  as  a  flash,  "  she 
went  in  the  other  day  and  laid  sweet  jessamines  on  his  pil- 
low, and  the  professor  nearly  murdered  Nina  and  poor  me, 
just  because  we  were  women  too,  and  the"  offender — la  belle 
Samaritaine — had  escaped,  and  he  found  only  us  innocents 
to  visit  his  wrath  upon." 

In  many  circles  the  bit  of  comedy  might  have  been 
wasted,  but  these  types  of  Florentine  society  appreciated 
the  scene  as  thoroughly  as  ever  a  knot  of  Parisian  critics 
enjoyed  the  most  delicately-drawn  exhibition  of  character 
in  one  of  Victorien  Sardou's  plays. 

The  duchess  knew  it,  and  the  replique  rested  with  her. 
To  remain  silent  would  be  to  damn  herself.  Florence 
might  pass  over  Impropriety,  but  not  stupidity.  And, 
difficult  as  the  situation  was  in  itself,  her  fierce  anger  in- 
creased its  difficulties.  But  she  must  answer.  She  could 
be  coarse  if  wit  failed  ;  at  least  the  men  would  believe 
what  she  said  witty,  just  on  account  of  its  coarseness. 

"  I  am  not  afraid  of  your  professor,"  said  she  ;  "  I  have 
already  appeased  him.  I  agreed  to  give  Carlo  up  to  you, 
dear  Miss  Cameron,  and  to  let  Nina  have  the  American." 
But  the  quizzical  glances  directed  towards  her  drove  her 
on  to  add  :  "To  ratify  the  bargain,  the  professor  is  to  sup 
with  me  on  Sunday  night.  Will  you  all  come  ?  Lady 
Harcourt,  promise  in  the  general  name." 

"  I  promise,"  returned  my  lady,  "promise  for  all.  We 
shall  not  forget." 

"  Au  revoir,  dear,"  said  the  duchess,  and  kissed  Violet's 
cheek. 

She  floated  out  on  the  marchese's  arm,  and  the  instant 
the  door  closed  Lady  Harcourt  exclaimed  : 

"  I  don't  understand  the  mot  of  the  charade,  but,  great 
heavens  !  Violet  Cameron,  you  must  have  hit  her  hard 
when  she  was  pushed  to  the  extreme  of  giving  a  supper  !" 

"  Don't  understand  the  motf"  cried  Gherardi.  "Well, 
I  fancy  poor  Aylmer  would " 

"  Hush !"  broke  in  her  ladyship.  "  We  may  be  scan- 
dalous in  Florence,  but  a  sick  man's  room  and  his  female 
visitors  are  sacred — silence,  evil  tongue  !" 

Going  down  stairs,  the  duchess  for  a  little  talked  any 
nonsense  that  would  come  into  her  head,  just  to  give  it 


LA    BELLE    SAMARITAINE.  67 

time  to  stop  whirling,  then  wondered  quickly  what  explana- 
tion would  be  best,  or  rather  least  hurtful  to  her  cause,  and 
ended  by  ignoring  the  matter. 

"  Oh,  marchese,"  she  said,  "  I  have  to  go  to  that  dread- 
ful railway  man  about  the  dividends  ;  can't  you  be  good- 
natured,  and  bully  him  for  me  ?" 

"  I  could  have  done  so  last  week,"  retorted  he  ;  "  but 
Gresham  and  I  quarreled  yesterday.  I  only  know  one 
person  who  could  soften  him,  that's  Aylmer — but  he  is 
too  ill." 

The  speech  was  not  bad  for  a  man's  effort,  but  it  gave 
the  duchess  a  chance. 

"  Cruel  !"  she  cried,  released  his  arm,  and  dropped  into 
an  attitude  of  dignified  melancholy.  "  You  could  hear  me 
insulted — you  can  try  to  wound  me  after  !" 

"The  odor  of  jessamine  always  turns  my  stomach,"  said 
Carlo. 

"  Then  luckily  I  did  not  find  you  that  day."  exclaimed 
the  duchess,  with  a  burst  of  truthfulness  wonderfully  well 
done.  "  I  did  go  into  the  creature's  room.  The  doors 
were  open — I  thought  I  heard  your  voice.  I  wanted  to  tell 
you  I  was  sorry  for  having  teased  you  that  last  evening. 
But  you  were  not  there.  I  ran  out — the  bouquet  must 
have  fallen  from  my  corsage.  Oh,  that  wretched,  mali- 
cious woman  !" 

Carlo  waited  calmly  till  she  had  finished,  then  extended 
his  arm  anew,  saying  only  : 

"  Shall  I  tell  your  people  to  drive  to  Gresham's 
office  ?" 

The  duchess  shut  her  lips  hard  to  keep  from  panting, 
like  a  person  who  had  mounted  a  steep  hill  too  fast.  Carlo 
put  her  hand  in  his  arm  and  led  her  on. 

"  Where  to  ?"  he  asked,  as  they  reached  the  court. 

"  Home,"  she  answered,  faintly  ;  then,  making  a  violent 
effort  to  recover  herself  and  speak  playfully,  she  added,  "If 
you  like  to  come,  I'll  give  you  some  punch,  instead  of  Eng- 
lish four-o'clock  tea." 

"  I  am  heart-broken  ;  but  I  promised  to  sit  awhile  with 
poor  Aylmer,"  returned  he,  and  helped  her  into  the  car- 
riage. 

From  a  window  which  overlooked  the  courtyard,  that 
malicious  Gherardi  watched  the  pair  and  cried,  utterly 
regardless  of  the  marchesa's  presence  : 


68  LA    BELLE    SAHARITAINE. 

"  He  goes — he  does  not  go  !  Which  side  do  you  take, 
Lady  Harcourt  ;  and  how  many  pairs  of  gloves  upon  it?" 

"  He  goes  !"  exclaimed  Stanhope.  "  Fifty  pounds  to 
ten  !" 

"You  have  lost,"  said  Lady  Harcourt,  who  had  reached 
the  window  ;  "  and  you  are  fitly  punished  for  speaking  !" 

Everybody  was  gone  at  last ;  the  marchesa  and  Violet 
were  alone. 

You  angel !"  cried  Nina  ;  "  but  oh,  you  have  made  a 
terrible  enemy — Silician — take  care  !" 

"  Chef"  returned  Violet,  with  an  accent  perfectly 
Italian  and  a  disregard  of  consequences  purely  Anglo- 
Saxon. 

"  I  had  been  a  little  jealous,  I  will  admit  now,"  pursued 
Nina  ;  "  it  was  the  first  time — it  will  be  the  last  where 
Giulia  is  concerned  !  JVly  dear,  Carlo  will  never  forgive 
the  blow  to  his  vanity  ;  she  had  written  him  a  letter  only 
that  morning." 

"  He  cared  nothing  for  her  ;  you  cannot  think  he  did  !" 

"  No,  no  ;  not  in  earnest — but  he  is  a  man  !  However, 
it  is  ended,  thanks  to  you.  If  ever  I  can  repay  you,  I  vow 
— no,  I  won't,  for  women  always  break  their  oaths." 

"  Don't  repeat  that  stale  old  slaader,"  said  Violet ; 
"  not  women,  only  the  make-believes." 

"  But  I  love  you  !  Let  me  hug  you,  this  instant !  I 
never  was  troubled  about  him  before  ;  though,  if  I  repeat 
that  so  often,  you  will  not  believe  me.  Well,  you  have 
cured  him  !  Oh,  the  cat !  she  will  never  dupe  him  now — 
but  you — you — oh,  my  dear  !" 

"  Bah  !"  said  Violet ;  "  did  Giulia  da  Rimini  suppose 
she  was  a  match  for  us  ?  Let  her  try  to  punish  me — we 
shall  see  !  In  the  meantime,  my  love,  we  will  have  some 
tea,  just  to  get  the  taste  of  her  name  out  of  our  mouths." 


DEAD    AS    PHARAOH.  69 

CHAPTER  VII. 
DEAD   AS   PHARAOH. 

ISS  CAMERON  did  not  like  to  think  of  her  visit 
to  the  sick-room,  for  each  time  she  did  so  the 
circumstances  connected  therewith  seemed  to 
increase  in  significance.  Many  of  her  sex  would 
have  contented  themselves  with  expending  cen- 
sure on  the  duchess,  but  this  was  contrary  to  Violet's  creed, 
which  recognized  the  injustice  of  condemning  a  woman 
and  letting  the  man  go  scot-free. 

Still  she  rejoiced  at  having  punished  Giulia.  She  de- 
tested exhibitions  of  spite,  and  would  have  scorned  to  em- 
ploy them  in  her  own  behalf  ;  but  in  this  instance  her  con- 
duct was  justified  by  its  motive  :  she  had  acted  in  defense 
of  her  friend — had  triumphed  too.  Only  the  day  before 
the  duchess's  supper,  an  opportunity  offered  of  proving 
this. 

Lady  Harcourt  called  at  the  house  to  leave  some  won- 
derful remedy,  for  which  she  had  sent  to  England,  and 
which  was  to  cure  Nina's  ankle  in  a  magical  fashion.  Violet 
and  the  marchese  had  been  out  on  horseback,  and  came  in 
just  as  her  ladyship  had  risen  to  take  leave. 

"  I  can't  even  stop  to  say  '  How  do  you  do,'  she  said, 
"  for  I  have  to  go  to  a  breakfast,  a  concert,  and  into 
the  bargain  sell  a  picture  for  a  young  painter  dear  to  my 
soul,  who  is  dying  of  consumption." 

"  Occupation  enough  for  one  morning,  certainly,"  re- 
turned Violet. 

"  I  shall  see  you  both  to-morrow  night,"  continued 
Lady  Harcourt.  "  Remember,  Giulia  gives  us  a  supper  ! 
Never,  not  even  when  presented  to  his  gracious  majesty  on 
my  seventeenth  birthday,  was  I  in  such  excitement,  and  I 
do  not  expect  to  be  again  if  I  should  live  a  thousand  years. 
Dear,  blessed  Giulia  never  gave  a  supper  before  and  will 
never  give  another,  so  I  mean  the  affair  to  be  memorable." 

"  If  she  dies  when  the  bills  come  in,  her  death  will  rest 
on  your  conscience,"  said  Carlo. 

"  There  will  be  no  bills,  caro  mio,"  replied  her  ladyship. 


70  DEAD    AS    PHARAOH. 

"  Every  restaurateur,  from  Doney  down  to  the  lowest  tyro, 
knows  your  charming  enslaver  too  well  to  send  so  much  as 
a  rnadeleine  to  her  house,  unless  paid  in  advance." 

"Not  even  a  Madeleine penitente?"  asked  Violet. 

"  She  might  consider  the  offering  personal,"  rejoined 
Carlo. 

"  She  will  be  one  herself,  you  wicked  American  witch — 
is  already  ;  not  on  account  of  her  sins,  but  her  rashness  in. 
proposing  the  supper,"  added  Lady  Harcourt,  laughing. 

"  She  could  prove  her  penitence  and  avoid  the  feast  by 
entering  a  convent,"  said  Violet. 

"  Don't  condemn  her  to  that,"  cried  Nina.  "At  least, 
give  her  the  privilege  of  a  monastery." 

"She  will  get  out  of  the  dilemma  without  adopting  any 
such  extreme  measures,"  said  Carlo. 

"Not  this  time  !"  returned  Lady  Harcourt,  triumph- 
antly. "  I  have  written  her  three  notes  and  sent  several 
men  to  ask  the  hour — she  can't  escape.  I  told  her  I  should 
bring  some  friends  whom  I  had  already  invited  to  my 
house." 

"  That  is  fiendish  cruelty,"  said  Violet. 

"  On  your  part,"  retorted  my  lady.  "  You  forced  her 
into  giving  the  supper,  Violet  Cameron.  You  put  her  in  a 
corner,  and  she  had  to  eat  you  or  be  eaten  in  order  to  get 
out.  She  chose  the  latter  alternative.  But  wait,  my  dear. 
Giulia  will  pay  you  before  the  winter  is  over,  or  rather, 
make  you  pay,  supper  and  all  !'' 

"  Really  !"  laughed  Violet.     "  How  am  I  in  fault  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  ;  I  ask  no  questions,  I  await  the 
course  of  events.  I  am  reasonably  fond  of  you,  I  adore 
her — fa  va  sans  dire!  If  she  poisons  you  I'll  come  to  the 
funeral,  I  promise  that."  And  off  my  lady  ran,  pausing  in 
the  doorway  long  enough  to  add,  "  I  shall  stop  down  stairs 
to  inquire  after  poor  Aylmer,  but  the  professor  need  not  be 
vexed,  for  I  have  no  jessamines  to  leave,  and  no  reputation. 
I  say  that  to  save  you  the  trouble." 

"  Supper  indeed  !"  quoth  Carlo.  "  I  know  one  person 
who  will  not  be  deluded." 

"  But  you  will  go — you  must,"  said  Nina;  "and  you 
too,  Violet." 

"There  is  no  necessity  in  my  case.  The  duchess  made 
it  so  evident  she  was  not  visiting  me  the  day  she  gave  the 
invitation,  that  I  am  absolved  from  any  part  therein.  But 


DEAD    AS    PHARAOH.  71 

Carlo  is  not,  and  for  once  in  the  annals  of  anybody's  his- 
tory, pleasure  will  be  united  with  duty." 

"  Then  have  some  refreshment  ready  for  me  when  I  get 
back.  I  shall  be  starved  if  I  trust  to  what  I  get  there," 
cried  Carlo. 

"  Entendu  /"  said  Violet.  "  But  be  sure  you  appear  in 
time  to  partake  of  it,  though  Circe  and  all  her  nymphs 
stand  in  the  way." 

"  I  am  sick  of  Circe,  and  I  hate  her  nymphs,"  rejoined 
Carlo. 

Nina  glanced  at  Violet  from  the  corners  of  her  beauti- 
ful almond-shaped  eyes.  Carlo  was  looking  at  his  wife,  but 
he  lost  the  glance,  though  Violet,  whose  head  was  half 
turned  away,  caught  it  distinctly.  If  the  married  pair 
lived  to  the  age  of  the  patriarchs,  Carlo  would  never  be 
permitted  to  dream  that  Nina  had  for  an  instant  been  jeal- 
ous of  the  duchess.  Indeed,  while  this  by-play  went  on,  his 
thoughts  ran  in  this  fashion  : 

"  I  swear  that  little  wife  of  mine  is  the  daintiest,  sweet- 
est, most  charming  creature  in  the  world.  It  is  ridiculous 
that  I  could  have  been  attracted  by  that  great  coarse 
Rimini — I  never  was  !" 

And,  though  neither  of  the  ladies  were  observing  him, 
so  far  as  he  knew,  both  were  as  cognizant  of  his  reflections 
as  if  he  had  put  them  into  spoken  language. 

Carlo's  fancy  for  the  duchess,  already  on  the  wane  when 
her  misadventure  occurred,  had  been  killed  outright  as  dead 
as  Pharaoh. 

He  went  to  the  famous  supper  which  would  supply 
Lady  Harcourt  with  gibes  and  jests  during  the  whole  sea- 
son. There  was  a  mayonnaise  and  weak  punch  with  the 
sugar  left  out,  and  the  duchess  informed  her  guests  that 
one  glass  of  punch  would  do  nobody  ».ny  harm,  and  nobody 
was  tempted  to  try  a  second. 

But  beggarly  as  the  feast  appeared  to  the  invited,  the 
expense  rankled  in  Giulia's  mind.  She  would  without  hesi- 
tation lavish  thousands  of  francs  upon  her  dress,  or  lose 
them  at  cards — would  in  both  cases,  if  impossible  to  avoid 
the  necessity,  pay  her  debts  with  a  reasonable  degree  of 
resignation,  but  in  spite  of  this  she  was  miserly  beyond 
belief.  So  she  had  two  causes  for  virulent  hatred  against 
Violet,  and  positively  she  hated  her  worse  for  having  unin- 
tentionally forced  her  to  give  the  supper  than  for  deliber- 


72  DEAD    AS    PHARAOH. 

ately  exposing  her  to  Carlo.  She  did  not  care  about  him, 
but  he  had  lately  come  into  possession  of  a  large  sum  of 
ready  money.  The  duchess  wanted  money,  was  terri- 
bly cramped  this  season,  and  she  had  meant  him  to  pay 
certain  debts,  the  creditors  for  which  were  importunate 
creatures  who  gave  her  no  peace. 

A  caprice  for  Laurence  Aylmer  she  had,  and  a  singularly 
strong  one,  insensible  as  he  seemed  to  her  fascinations.  She 
had  been  confident  the  day  she  entered  his  rooms  that  she 
could  do  so  with  impunity. 

When  she  went  to  the  house  she  had  not  dreamed  there 
would  be  a  possibility  of  seeing  him,  but  as  she  was  de- 
scending the  stairs,  she  perceived  that  the  doors  of  the 
ground-floor  apartment  were  open — not  a  soul  in  sight. 

The  duchess  peeped  into  the  first  salon — empty.  She 
passed  on.  In  the  second  room  the  sister  knelt  before  the 
statue  of  some  saint,  her  head  buried  in  her  hands,  so  deeply 
absorbed  in  prayer  that  she  was  lost  to  all  sublunary  sur- 
roundings. Giulia  noiselessly  crossed  the  carpeted  floor 
and  gained  the  sick  room. 

Aylmer  slept,  his  head  supported  high  upon  the  pillows  ; 
the  open  collar  of  his  night-shirt  exposing  the  graceful  neck 
and  the  outlines  of  the  muscular  shoulders. 

The  woman  crept  up  to  the  bed,  leaned  over,  and  pressed 
her  lips  upon  his  throat.  The  caress  roused  the  wounded 
man  ;  he  opened  his  great  eyes,  into  which  a  sudden  fever- 
ish brightness  rushed,  and  half  raised  himself,  uttering 
some  incoherent  exclamation.  She  believed  that  he  recog- 
nized her,  but  she  heard  a  step  in  the  room  at  the  side  of 
the  chamber,  and  fled,  afraid  of  discovery — dropping  the 
bouquet  of  jessamines  on  his  pillow  as  she  hurried  away. 

She  ran  out  just  in  time  to  escape  the  professor,  ran 
through  the  salon  where  the  sister  still  knelt,  and  reached 
the  outer  door,  but  before  she  could  cross  the  threshold, 
met  Antonio. 

"  I  have  made  a  most  unfortunate  blunder,"  she  said 
quickly;  "I  thought  the  Marchesa  Magnoletti  was  estab- 
lished in  this  apartment !  Luckily  neither  the  sick  man 
nor  his  nurse  saw  me.  Say  nothing  about  my  mistake,  if 
you  please  ;  it  is  most  annoying  to  me  ;"  and  as  she  spoke, 
she  actually  put  ten  francs  in  his  hand  !  She  would  almost 
rather  have  submitted  to  the  loss  of  one  of  her  perfect 
teeth,  but  there  was  no  escape. 


DEAD    AS    PUARAOH.  73 

During  the  ensuing  fortnight  Miss  Cameron's  visits  to 
the  sick-room  continued  very  frequent. 

The  professor  would  come  for  her,  and  she  could  not 
refuse  his  request  ;  indeed,  there  was  no  reason  why  she 
should,  save  the  personal  shrinking  caused  by  her  belief 
that  the  patient  mistook  her  for  Giulia  Rimini,  since  he 
babbled  about  the  jessamines  and  her  sudden  disappear- 
ance. Why  had  she  gone — why  ?  And  did  she  remem- 
ber   

What?  The  often-begun  sentence  could  never  get  itself 
finished.  His  mind  was  always  unable  to  seize  one  special 
incident  that  he  desired  to  recall,  though  it  haunted  his 
fancy  with  wearisome  persistency. 

"  I  can't  tell  it — I  can't  tell  it !"  he  would  say,  in  a  de- 
spairing tone,  then  sometimes  become  vexed  that  she  did 
not  help  him,  and  cry  :  "  You  could  give  me  the  word,  and 
you  will  not  ;  you  are  cruel — cruel  !" 

But  the  instant  he  said  this  he  regretted  it,  and  would 
snatch  her  hands  and  press  his  fevered  lips  on  them,  ex- 
claiming : 

"  I  did  not  mean  that  ;  you  know  I  did  not !  Say  you 
are  sure  I  did  not  mean  it !" 

Violet  could  neglect  no  effort  to  quiet  him.  The  pro- 
fessor told  her  frankly  that  the  humoring  of  his  fancies 
might  have  a  great  effect  upon  his  recovery.  Indeed,  if 
she  hesitated  about  letting  the  sick  man  hold  her  hand,  or 
kept  him  waiting  for  an  answer  to  his  eager  questions,  she 
would  immediately  become  aware  of  the  professor's  head 
thrust  in  at  the  door,  his  lynx-eyes  glaring  at  her  from 
under  their  bushy  brows.  Nor  did  he  content  himself  with 
glaring  ;  he  did  not  scruple  even  to  shake  his  fist  at  her, 
while  he  stood  on  one  leg  and  waved  the  other  in  the  air 
like  an  impatient  Mercury  preparing  for  flight. 

Sometimes  in  the  midst  of  her  pity  and  annoyance — her 
inexplicable  bitterness  towards  the  patient — her  anger  at 
herself  for  such  emotion — a  fit  of  laughter  would  seize 
Violet,  forcing  her  to  bury  her  head  in  the  counterpane  to 
smother  the  ill-timed  merriment  which  hurt  her  cruelly  all 
the  while.  To  catch  the  absurd  side  of  the  situation,  yet 
comprehend  so  clearly  its  grave  aspect,  seemed  like  regard- 
ing a  dismal  tragedy  and  seeing  some  evil-disposed  imp 
thrust  a  grotesque  caricature  thereof  close  at  its  side. 

On  a  certain  evening  the  professor's  patience,  never  his 
4 


74  DEAD    AS    PHARAOH. 

strong  point — a  thing  noticeable  both  in  great  savants  and 
great  saints — had  been  completely  exhausted  by  his  patient's 
having  delirium  when  he  ought  to  be  sane,  and  behaving  in 
every  particular  just  the  opposite  of  what  was  his  obvious 
duty.  So  when  the  doctor  heard  the  outer  doors  open  to 
admit  Miss  Cameron  on  her  return  from  the  opera,  he 
dashed  into  the  entrance-hall.  In  his  haste  he  nearly  fell 
over  the  lady,  and  was  freshly  irritated  by  the  burst  of 
laughter  wherewith  she  acknowledged  his  presence  ;  stand- 
ing there  so  beautiful  in  her  white  draperies,  that  the  pro- 
fessor could  not  decide  which  emotion  predominated  in  his 
soul — a  wicked  desire  to  shake  her,  or  a  ridiculous  impulse 
to  go  on  his  knees,  as  if  one  of  the  angelic  beings,  concern- 
ing whose  existence  he  affected  such  doubts  in  his  discus- 
sions with  Eliza  Bronson,  had  suddenly  appeared  before 
him. 

"  What  have  I  done  that  you  should  try  to  bring  my 
ill-spent  existence  to  an  abrupt  close  by  running  over  me  ?" 
Miss  Cameron  asked. 

"Done!"  thundered  the  professor.  "Everybody  does 
the  very  thing  that  is  out  of  place  and  absurd  !" 

"  Witness  your  trying  to  crush  me  when  I  enter  my 
house,"  laughed  Violet. 

"I  am  not  talking  about  myself,"  he  grumbled.  "  It  is 
no  matter  about  me  !" 

"  And  no  matter  if  I  am  broken  in  pieces,  I  suppose  !" 
returned  she,  still  laughing. 

"Oh,  very  well!  If  you  can  do  nothing  better  than 
sneer,  and  behave  like — like — well,  like  a  woman — ach,  mein 
Gott,  there  is  no  other  comparison  serves — then  I'll  leave 
you  !"  thundered  the  professor. 

"  First  you  had  better  tell  me  what  is  the  matter,"  said 
Violet. 

"  Matter  !"  he  echoed.  "  Everything— except,  indeed, 
what  ought  to  happen  !  I  swear  by  the  river  Styx  and  the 
northern  god  Thor,  that  never,  never — if  I  live  to  be  old  as 
Methuselah,  and  visionary  as  Eliza  Bronson's  St.  Paul — 
will  I  ever  again  take  the  charge  of  an  American  !  No, 
not  if  we  were  the  only  two  people  left  on  this  terrestrial 
globe  !" 

"  I  know  what  ails  you,"  said  Violet.  "  You  have  had 
no  supper." 


DEAD    AS    PHARAOH.  75 

"I  wonder  when  I  could  have  found  an  instant  to  snatch 
a  morsel  !"  cried  he. 

"  Go  up  stairs,  and  you  shall  have  many  morsels — tooth- 
some and  indigestible  as  any  that  even  a  German  cook 
could  devise.  Antonio,  take  good  care  of  the  professor, 
and  see  he  has  some  beer,"  she  added,  looking  over  her 
shoulder  towards  that  personage,  who  stood  secretly 
smiling  at  the  irate  savant.  "  I  will  sit  with  your  patient 
while  you  are  gone,  Esculapius.  I  suppose  that  is  what 
you  want." 

The  professor  began  to  laugh. 

"  I'd  like  to  say  no,  just  from  a  spirit  of  contradiction," 
he  said  ;  "  but  I  should  only  punish  myself.  If  you  don't 
go,  he  will  rave  all  night,  like  the  fool  he  is,  and  I  shall 
have  to  watch  him  ;  for  I  notice  that  blessed  sister  always 
enjoys  her  soundest  sleep  when  there  is  the  most  need  of 
her  keeping  awake  !  Per  Bacco,  if  your  religious  fables 
had  any  foundation,  what  a  drowsy  set  the  elect  would  be 
up  in  their  pearl-gated  paradise  !" 

"  My  dear  professor,  eat  your  supper,  drink  your  beer, 
and  convince  yourself  that  at  least  your  corporeal  part  is 
not  a  delusion,"  counseled  Miss  Cameron. 

"  Tausend  ten/els!"  exclaimed  the  savant,  glowering  at 
her.  "  You  really  are  a  beauty  !  It  is  a  pity  you  are  only 
so  much  hydrogen,  and  oxygen,  and " 

"  Never  mind  the  rest  of  the  unpleasant  compounds, 
you  dreadful  old  materialistic  absurdity,"  interrupted 
Violet,  and  disappeared  within  the  arched  portals  which 
led  to  the  sick  man's  quarters. 

The  professor  snorted,  settled  his  cravat,  frowned  at 
Antonio,  and  ejaculated  : 

"  She  is  the  most  wonderful  creature  in  the  world — 
about  the  only  one  worthy  the  name  of  woman." 

"She  is,  sir,"  said  Antonio,  in  the  meekest  under-key  of 
his  many-toned  voice.  He  knew  that  if  he  spoke  the  pro- 
fessor would  snub  him  ;  if  he  did  not  speak,  the  professor 
would  rate  him  for  his  impertinence.  "  She  is  indeed,  sir." 

"  Mind  your  business  !"  howled  the  savant.  "  Who  per- 
mitted you  to  have  opinions  ?  Set  you  up,  indeed  !  As  if 
you  had  reached  the  stage  of  development  when  the  human 
animal  acquires  what  they  call  a  soul — the  fools  !" 

Antonio  bowed  low. 

"  What  are  you  jerking  about  for  like  a  monkey?"  de- 


76  DEAD    AS    PHARAOH. 

manded  the  professor.  "  Do  you  know  we  are  all  a  superior 
sort  of  apes — not  so  very  superior  either — nothing  else,  the 
grandest  of  us?" 

"  If  you  please,  sir — whatever  you  like,  sir,"  said 
Antonio. 

"  I  don't  like  it  at  all,"  shouted  the  professor  ;  "  but 
my  likings  don't  change  facts.  Oh,  see  here,  come  up 
stairs  and  find  me  a  crust !  My  stomach  is  as  empty  as  a 
balloon — that  is  what  makes  me  theoretical." 

"  It  is  not  exactly  the  word  I  should  have  chosen  to  ex- 
press your  damnable  ill-temper,"  muttered  the  Swiss,  but 
wisely  spoke  so  low  that  his  commentary  did  not  reach  the 
ears  of  the  irascible  savant,  who,  before  they  gained  the 
top  of  the  stairs,  had  forgotten  hunger  and  annoyance  in 
the  interest  with  which  he  questioned  Antonio  about  a  sick 
baby  belonging  to  some  one  of  Miss  Cameron's  numerous 
pensioners. 

Violet  entered  the  apartment  of  the  rez-<le-chaussee.  In 
the  salon  next  Aylmer's  chamber  sat  the  sister.  Her  arras 
rested  on  a  table,  her  head  reposed  on  her  arms,  and  she 
was  slumbering  sweetly ;  the  slow,  measured  breathings 
which  escaped  her  lips  at  regular  intervals  sounding  so  like 
"  Ave — ave — Maria — a — ve,"  that  it  seemed  as  if  she  must 
be  continuing  her  orisons  in  her  sleep. 

Miss  Cameron  reached  the  bedroom.  The  instant  her 
foot  crossed  the  threshold,  lightly  as  she  trod,  carefully  as 
she  gathered  her  silken  draperies  in  her  hand,  to  prevent 
any  rustle  disturbing  the  sick  man's  ear,  the  voice  which 
she  had  heard  as  she  traversed  the  salons  ceased  its  utter- 
ance :  the  sufferer  lay  perfectly  quiet. 

The  same  effect  had  so  often  been  produced  during  the 
past  days  and  nights  that  Violet  could  not  call  it  chance. 
At  first  she  had  endeavored  to  do  so,  had  smiled  at  the 
professor's  talk  about  magnetic  influence,  psychological 
mysteries,  and  the  rest ;  but  that  her  presence  could  always 
mysteriously  soothe  the  patient  was  certain.  True,  there 
remained  the  idea  that  he  mistook  her  for  some  one  else  ; 
and  that  some  one  else,  of  all  women,  Giulia  da  Rimini  ! 
This  was  hard.  It  rendered  her  visits  always  a  trial  ; 
mixed  something  revolting  therewith,  which  would  not  bear 
thinking  about,  and  brought  back  the  stern  judgment  that 
she  had  determined  to  put  aside  until  he  should  be  restored 
to  health. 


DEAD    AS    PHARAOH.  77 

As  she  seated  herself  by  the  bed,  Aylmer  looked  up, 
and  said  eagerly  : 

"  Thanks,  thanks  !  What  a  shame  for  rue  to  trouble 
you  like  this  !" 

lie  spoke  so  rationally  that,  for  an  instant,  she  thought 
he  knew  what  he  was  saying,  then  recollected  how  several 
times  she  had  allowed  herself  to  be  deceived  by  similar  ap- 
pearances. 

He  shut  his  eyes.  His  fingers,  stretched  out  across  the 
counterpane,  moved  slowly,  restlessly,  and  would  not  be 
still.  She  knew  what  she  should  have  to  do — lay  her  hand 
in  his.  This  little  struggle  of  wills  invariably  took  place 
between  them — invariably  she  was  obliged  to  yield. 

So  now,  after  waiting  so  long  that  her  conscience  re- 
proached her  as  cruel,  she  laid  her  cool  fingers  upon  his 
palm.  His  hand  closed  quickly  over  hers,  a  smile  hovered 
about  his  lips — lingering  there  even  after  he  had  fallen 
asleep. 

She  sat  still  for  perhaps  twenty  minutes — was  beginning 
to  wonder  the  professor  did  not  return — to  think  she  might 
rise,  trusting  to  the  soundness  of  the  sick  man's  slumber 
not  to  disturb  him — wheiuhe  opened  his  eyes  again,  saying 
softly  : 

"  I  did  not  dream  it — you  are  here  !" 

"  Yes,  I  am  here,"  she  answered,  humoring  his  mood  as 
the  doctor  had  bidden  her  always  to  do. 

"  It  is  too  bad  you  should  be  troubled  !  You  were  here 
when  I  fell  asleep — I  know  !  I  can  tell  the  moment  you 
reach  the  threshold." 

How  rational  his  voice  sounded  ;  weaker,  slower  too 
than  usual  Could  he  be  conscious  what  he  was  saying  ? 

"  You  did  not  think  I  could  tell  ?  I  can  always  recog- 
nize your  step,  even  when  I  am  a  little  out  of  my  head.  It 
does  wander  very  often,  I  know  ;  but  somehow  I  can't  stop 
it !  Now  it  feels  steady — that  is  because  you  are  here." 

She  could  not  resist  the  impulse  to  discover  whether, 
delirious  or  not,  he  recognized  her  ;  or  whether,  entering 
his  dreams  and  fancies,  he  mistook  her  for  that  evil-eyed 
Circe,  to  be  mistaken  for  whom,  even  by  the  disordered 
imagination  of  a  sick  man,  appeared  a  degradation. 

"  Because  you  are  here,"  he  repeated  in  a  low,  contented 
lone. 

"  Do  you  know  who  I  am  ?"  she  asked. 


78  DEAD    AS    PHARAOH. 

"  What  a  question,  Miss  Cameron  !" 

She  was  so  astonished  that  she  tried  to  draw  her  hand 
away. 

"  Don't  !"  he  said,  piteously  ;  "  don't  !  My  head  will 
go  if  you  do.  And  I  want  to  tell  you  something — I 
have  wanted  to  so  long  :  it  is  always  so  hard  to  remember  ! 
I  try  when  you  are  not  here — I  think  I  shall  when  you  come 
back  ;  then  it  goes — it  goes  !" 

Partially  sane  he  certainly  was  ;  he  must  be  soothed. 
This  was  no  time  for  nonsensical  scruples  or  whims  on  her 
part.  She  must  quiet  him  ;  it  was  simply  a  humane  neces- 
sity, as  much  as  it  would  be  to  give  him  a  drink  if  he  com- 
plained of  thirst. 

"  You  will  recollect  presently,"  she  said.  "  See,  I  am 
here — I  will  sit  beside  you." 

"  Not  know  you  ?  What  an  odd  idea  !"  he  rambled 
on  ;  "  why,  I  did  from  the  very  first,  bad  as  my  head  was. 
Though,  somehow,  that  once  it  did  not  seem  to  be  you — 
but  that  was  my  head.  You  just  came  softly  in  and  laid 
the  flowers  on  my  pillow.  Ha,  ha  ! — the  fever,  you  know — 
I  dreamed  you  kissed  me  !  Yet  it  didn't  seem  you — some- 
body trying  to  deceive  me  !  Then  the  doctor  carried  off 
the  flowers.  I  wanted  to  tell  him  to  let  them  alone,  but  I 
could  not  make  him  understand.  Not  know  you  ?  It  was 
only  that  once  I  had  any  doubt — only  that  once  !" 

So  he  babbled  on,  holding  her  hand  fast,  recognizing 
her,  but  not  able  to  repress  the  utterance  of  any  fancy 
which  crossed  his  mind  ;  not  sufficiently  rational  to  attempt 
to  do  so. 

And  Violet  sat  beside  him  until  he  again  fell  asleep. 

He  had  known  her  from  the  first  :  the  flowers  he  had 
believed  her  gift !  It  was  not  Giulia  da  Rimini  who  occu- 
pied his  thoughts  ;  her  censure  had  been  undeserved.  The 
woman's  coming  was  not  his  fault.  Nina  had  vowed  over 
and  over  that  he  disliked  the  creature  !  And — and — he 
had  always  known  her,  Violet,  even  in  the  height  of  his 
delirium. 

Yes,  the  old  professor  was  right  !  The  human  soul — 
intellect — intelligence — call  it  by  whatever  name  science 
pleased — held  strange,  inexplicable  mysteries. 

He  had  known  her — Violet !  She  could  sit  there  in 
peace  !  She  had  been  unjust  to  him,  and  she  was  sorry, 
very  sorry. 


HIS     DISCO  VEST.  79 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
HIS     DISCOVERY. 

YLMER'S  fever  yielded,  his  strength  began  to 
return,  and  the  doctor  pronounced  him  conva- 
lescent. At  first  he  shrank  from  any  effort  at 
thought  ;  it  caused  a  confusion  in  his  brain  re- 
sembling the  delirium,  which,  having  as  a  rule 
been  only  partial,  left  him  conscious  his  wits  were  astray, 
making  him  sometimes  feel  as  if  an  exterior  intelligence 
had  lodged  itself  in  his  soul,  and  was  watching  his  mental 
aberrations  with  cynical  amusement. 

Miss  Cameron's  visits  ceased  with  the  recovery  of  his 
reason,  and  Ayhner  did  not  mention  her  name,  afraid  of 
learning  that  his  impression  of  her  frequent  presence  was  as 
unreal  as  his  other  delusions.  Indeed,  for  a  while,  even  the 
accident  seemed  a  part  of  those  feverish  visions.  Then 
that  settled  into  reality,  as  did  the  fact  of  her  safety. 

He  liked  to  lie  with  closed  eyes  and  recall  the  noiseless 
appearance  of  that  beautiful  figure  when  his  wanderings  be- 
came painful — the  touch  of  her  cool  hand,  the  sound  of  her 
low  sweet  voice.  As  he  grew  able  to  reflect,  he  argued 
that  his  fancy  was  not  surprising,  since  no  woman  had  ever 
impressed  him  so  deeply  from  the  moment  of  their  meeting, 
and  during  the  entire  day  and  evening  which  closed  so 
tragically  she  had  been  the  prominent  subject  in  his  mind. 

He  had  stood  at  a  distance  and  watched  her  that  after- 
noon in  the  Cascine,  would  not  even  ask  a  question  con- 
cerning her,  prevented  by  some  impulse  as  strong  as  he 
felt  it  romantic  and  boyish.  She  had  started  up  before  him 
like  a  revelation  of  beauty  from  some  higher  sphere,  such 
as  the  old  Greeks  believed  occasionally  granted  to  mortals, 
and  he  wanted  as  long  as  he  could  to  keep  her  separate 
from  ordinary  humanity.  Though  he  smiled  at  his  own 
folly  he  obeyed  it,  and  carefully  avoided  several  acquaint- 
ances whom  he  noticed  conversing  with  her,  lest  he  should 
be  obliged  to  listen  to  verbiage  which  would  at  once  trans- 
form his  goddess  into  common  clay. 

A  few  hours  later  she  had  appeared  again  to  his  sight, 


80  H18     DISCOVERY. 

more  lovely  than  ever.  For  a  little  he  had  been  troubled 
by  something  in  her  manner  which  seemed  to  imply  a  pre- 
judice against  him,  but  that  fear  vanished  under  the  charm 
of  her  conversation.  He  had  driven  out  to  the  villa  with  a 
friend,  but  he  desired  to  escape  companionship  on  his  re- 
turn. The  night  was  so  perfect  that  he  determined  to  walk 
back  to  Florence.  He  had  seated  himself  by  the  roadside, 
lost  in  some  vague  dream,  of  which  she  was  the  object, 
when  roused  by  the  tramp  of  the  frightened  horses. 

His  last  thought  before  he  sank  down,  down  into  the 
dark — so  the  catastrophe  presented  itself  to  him — had  been 
of  her  danger  ;  every  faculty  of  mind  and  body  concen- 
trated in  a  wild  effort  to  save  her.  So  it  was  natural 
enough  that  her  image  should  have  haunted  his  delirious 
hours,  and  her  fancied  presence  have  possessed  the  power 
to  calm  him,  as  he  recollected  had  often  been  the  case. 

The  professor  wished  his  patient  still  to  remain  in  igno- 
rance of  his  whereabouts,  and  when  the  marchesa  got  able 
to  go  down  stairs,  cautioned  her  to  wear  a  bonnet,  so  that 
she  might  be  supposed  to  have  come  from  her  own  house. 
Carlo  also  had  to  be  vouchsafed  admittance  to  the  sick- 
chamber,  but  the  savant,  fearful  of  some  indiscretion, 
glared  and  frowned  till  the  poor  man  could  not  talk  at  all, 
and  behaved  so  stupidly  that  ungrateful  Aylmer  rejoiced 
over  his  departure,  whereupon  the  old  tyrant  chuckled 
hugely. 

More  days  passed.  Nina  had  paid  another  visit  ;  Carlo 
had  been  sat  upon  anew,  and  at  last,  though  the  sweetest- 
tempered  of  mortals,  he  could  not  refrain  from  asserting 
himself  a  little  when  he  and  the  doctor  went  up  stairs. 

"  The  poor  fellow  can  be  removed  now,"  he  said  ;  "  so 
he  might  as  well  hear  the  truth.  It  is  quite  dreadful  for  us 
to  make  Miss  Cameron's  house  a  hotel  any  longer." 

"  I  don't  care  !"  retorted  the  savant.  "  Why  did  she 
smash  him  under  her  horses'  hoofs?  I'll  tell  him  when 
I'm  ready,  not  before.  Ach,  m,ein  Gott !  you  boy — you 
marchesino — are  you  to  teach  the  old  German  ?" 

Though  Violet  joined  in  the  laughter  with  which  Nina 
and  Carlo  received  the  professor's  testiness,  she  was  not 
pleased  at  his  refusal  to  let  her  offer  any  sign  of  gratitude 
or  sympathy  to  the  patient. 

"  He  must  think  ine  an  absolute  monster,"  she  said. 


HI8     DISCOVERT.  81 

"  Hasn't  spoken  of  yon,"  returned  the  German,  in  a  sat- 
isfied tone. 

"  No  wonder  !  Probably  he  does  not  consider  me  worth 
mentioning — a  woman  who  does  not  even  take  the  trouble 
to  inquire  after  him  when  he  received  his  injury  in  saving 
her  !  Come,  professor,  I  will  not  endure  such  tyranny  any 
longer." 

"  Won't  you,  indeed  !"  growled  the  professor. 

"At  least  take  him  a  message  from  her,"  urged  Nina. 

"  Message  !"  echoed  the  professor,  in  high  contempt. 

"  Or  a  bunch  of  jessamines,"  laughed  Carlo,  and  Nina 
laughed  too  with  all  her  heart. 

Violet  turned  and  pulled  down  a  blind  which  let  too 
much  light  in  upon  a  stand  of  flowers.  A  wave  of  color 
like  a  reflection  of  the  sunbeams  crossed  her  cheeks,  but 
luckily  nobody  noticed  it. 

"  I'll  have  no  risks  run,"  pursued  the  savant.  "  I  have 
studied  the  fellow  as  carefully  as  if  he  were  a  bit  of  fossil 
from  which  I  could  make  out  a  new  animal  that  would  prove 
a  link  between  man  and  his  monkey  ancestor,  instead  of 
that  useless  phase  of  development,  a  modern  young  dandy." 

"  Take  that,  Carlino  mio,"  parenthesized  Nina. 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  professor.  "  No,  no  ;  leave  me  to 
manage  matters.  I  don't  suppose  the  Fraulein  really  wants 
to  turn  us  out." 

"  Now,  professor  !" 

"  It  was  the  marchese's  insinuation." 

"  Aren't  you  ashamed,  Carlo  ?"  said  Violet. 

"  I  am  ashamed  of  him,"  added  Nina. 

"  You  dreadful  old  scarabeus  of  a  professor  !"  cried 
Carlo.  "  You  bring  them  down  on  me  in  order  that  you 
may  escape."  At  this  juncture  Eliza  Bronson,  seated  in  a 
corner  to  which  she  had  retired  on  Schmidt's  entrance, 
heaved  an  ostentatious  sigh.  "  Pray  come  to  my  rescue, 
Miss  Bronson,"  continued  Carlo. 

"  Oh,  marchese,"  returned  she,  with  a  shiver,  "  please 
do  not  ask  me.  Everybody  here  knows  my  sentiments  !" 

"  If  you  come  to  anything  so  tender,  I,  as  that  wretch's 
injured  wife,  had  better  leave  the  room,"  cried  the  incorri- 
gible Nina. 

"  Eliza,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  engage  you  a  mentor,"  said 
Violet. 

"  As  soon  as  my  patient  is  better,  I  shall  feel  highly 
4* 


82  HIS    DISCOVERT. 

honored  if  I  can  be  intrusted  with  that  pleasurable  duty," 
observed  the  professor,  in  an  insinuating  voice. 

"  Now,  Miss  Bronson,  do  not  be  silenced  by  their  folly," 
pleaded  Carlo.  "Speak  out ;  give  me  your  moral  support." 

Eliza  assumed  her  governess  manner,  sitting  as  erect  in 
her  chair  as  if  it  had  been  a  schoolroom  official  bench. 

"  I  cannot  jest  upon  a  subject  which  appears  to  my 
mind — I  do  not  judge  for  others — "  she  cast  a  glance  of 
condemnation  at  Nina  and  Violet,  which  grew  positively 
withering  as  it  fell  upon  the  professor,  who  acknowledged 
it  by  a  second  bow,  very  grave  and  serious.  "  If  I  speak  at 
all — I  can  be  silent  if  desired " 

"  By  no  means  !"  cooed  the  professor,  with  the  amiabil- 
ity of  a  very  hoarse  dove. 

"  Then  I  must  speak  sincerely,"  pursued  Eliza. 

"  Sincerity  is  what  I  want,"  said  Carlo  :  "  sincerity  and 
justice." 

"  I  honor  your  sentiments,  marchese,"  replied  Eliza,  as 
incapable  of  comprehending  a  jest  as  a  statue  of  Minerva 
would  be.  "I  have  told  Miss  Cameron — I  said  it  at  first — 
I  have  warned  her  again  and  again  what  would  be  the  result 
of  that  ill-advised  step — ill-advised  at  least  in  my  opinion — 
remember  I  only  speak  as  a  unit — of  introducing  that 
stranger  gentleman  under  the  roof  of  two  lone  ladies " 

"  Ach  Gottf"  snorted  the  professor,  unable  to  control 
his  delight. 

"  Yes,  and  I  repeat  it  now,  repeat  it  with  energy  !"  cried 
Eliza,  glaring  at  the  disrespectful  savant.  "  Neither  gibes 
nor  sneers  shall  prevent  me,  when  called  upon  to  testify,  from 
speaking  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the 
truth  !"1 

"  Sir  Samuel  Johnson  1"  the  professor  remarked  to  Nina, 
in  an  audible  whisper. 

Eliza  paused  to  overwhelm  this  troubler  of  her  eloquence 
with  the  proofs  of  his  own  ignorance. 

"  The  great  man  whom  you  mention  only  bore  the  title 
of  Doctor  of  Arts,  nor  was  he  the  author  of  the  sentiment 
I  quoted,"  said  she,  with  lofty  condescension.  "  But  in 
your  character  of  German  professor  both  errors  are  perhaps 
excusable,  Mr.  Schmidt." 

"  Miss  Bronson,  I  thank  you  for  setting  me  right,  and 
promise  never  to  interrupt  you  again,"  replied  he  suavely. 

"  I  have  been  silent,"  continued  Eliza,  "  because  I  per- 


ma   DISCOVERY.  83 

ceived  that  my  opinion  was  not  desired,  but  now  I  am 
called  on,  and  must  declare  that  my  worst  fears  have  been 
more  than  fulfilled.  Yes,  Violet,  you  mary  smile — you, 
marchesa,  may  encourage  her  thoughtless  levity — but  I,  her 
real  friend,  the  guide  of  her  youth,  I  shudder  at  the  reports 
which  are  current." 

"  Miss  Bronson,  your  verdict  overwhelms  me,"  cried  the 
professor. 

"  Sir,"  said  she,  "  I  should  be  glad  if  I  could  think  you 
spoke  seriously,  with  the  gravity  becoming  so  renowned  a 
man." 

"  How  neatly  she  mingles  condemnation  and  compli- 
ment !"  cried  the  unabashed  professor,  lifting  both  hands 
in  sign  of  admiration. 

"  Wherever  approval  is  possible,  be  it  much  or  little,  I 
hope  I  always  accord  it,"  said  Eliza.  "  I  trust  that  at  least 
I  am  a  just  woman " 

"  Then  you  are  a  phenomenon  indeed  !"  cut  in  he. 
"  Why,  even  your  pet  St.  Paul " 

Eliza  interrupted  him  by  rising.  She  swept  to  the 
door,  paused,  and  addressed  the  company  generally,  rolling 
up  her  eyes  as  if  to  include  the  cherubs  on  the  ceiling  in 
her  explanation. 

"  I  must  excuse  myself,"  she  said,  in  a  voice  at  once 
tremulous  and.  dignified.  "  I  have  learned  to  endure  a 
great  deal,  but  not  sneers  upon  sacred  subjects  and  charac- 
ters— not  that ! — no,  no  !" 

"  St.  Paul  declared  that  women " 

But  Eliza  was  gone.  The  professor  laughed  till  his 
eyes  were  full  of  tears,  and  the  others  laughed  too,  even 
while  reproaching  him  for  his  unmerciful  teasing  of  the 
poor  spinster. 

"  It  does  her  good,"  he  declared,  "  puts  new  life  in  her, 
and  she  enjoys  it.  The  worthy  Miss  Bronson  belongs  to 
the  type  of  women  who  is  happiest  when  most  miserable." 

The  truth  was  that,  independent  of  his  professional 
solicitude,  the  doctor  had  motives  for  wanting  to  defer 
explanations  as  long  as  possible.  He  disliked  the  idea  of 
the  separation  which  must  ensue,  the  going  back  to  his 
bachelor  abode,  and  the  isolation  he  had  always  declared 
necessary  to  a  student. 

The  society  of  those  gay  young  people  had  come  to  the 
professor  like  a  breath  of  fresh  air,  a  season  of  repose  iij 


84  HIS     DISCO  VERT. 

some  summer  garden  among  sunshine  and  flowers,  and  he 
hated  to  relinquish  it,  though  he  spluttered  dreadful 
sounding  German  imprecations  over  his  own  folly,  and 
added  many  opprobrious  epithets  not  in  keeping  with  the 
learned  titles  he  had  a  right  to  claim. 

Occasionally  he  caught  himself  wondering  whether 
there  might  not  be  a  strange  happiness  for  a  man  who, 
instead  of  consecrating  his  life  to  science,  lived  the  exist- 
ence of  common  mortals,  loved,  married,  and  possessed 
children  to  brighten  his  age — beautiful,  clever,  appreciative 
daughters  like  the  marchesa  and  Fraulein  Violet — a  son 
gifted  and  full  of  glorious  promise  as  this  Laurence. 

But,  in  spite  of  the  professor's  care,  the  disclosure 
which  he  desired  still  further  to  avert,  came  the  very  day 
after  Eliza  Bronson  had  gratified  the  party  by  an  exposi- 
tion of  her  views  as  to  the  present  state  of  affairs  in  Miss 
Cameron's  household. 

The  savant  had  left  Antonio  to  assist  the  patient  to 
bathe  and  dress ;  that  operation  concluded,  the  invalid 
must  rest  for  half  an  hour — sleep  if  he  could — then  take 
some  soup,  and  later  be  allowed  to  sit  up  awhile.  Each  de- 
tail in  the  day's  programme  had  been  carefully  expounded, 
and  both  Aylmer  and  Antonio  knew  that  no  shadow  of  in- 
fringement upon  his  commands  would  be  permitted  by  the 
professor,  any  more  than  if  he  were  an  Eastern  satrap. 

His  toilet  completed  Aylmer  lay  down  again  ;  Antonio 
seated  himself  near  the  bed,  and  before  very  long  his 
charge  appeared  to  have  sunk  into  slumber.  As  Antonio 
was  congratulating  himself  on  the  fact,  he  suddenly  remem- 
bered that  he  had  forgotten  to  give  the  porter  a  message, 
and  as  any  forgetfulness  of  duty  constituted  a  crime  in  the 
faithful  creature's  code,  he  felt  suitably  guilty. 

The  nurse  was  in  the  adjoining  salon — he  would  beg 
her  to  repair  his  error.  So  he  stole  to  the  door  with  elab- 
orate caution,  and  succeeded  in  atti'acting  the  sister's 
attention  from  her  book  of  "  Hours." 

"  I  must  not  go  out,"  he  whispered,  as  she  approached  ; 
"  the  professor  bade  me  not.  Would  you  be  so  good,  ma 
soeur,  as  to  tell  Giovanni  that  Miss  Cameron " 

"  I  can't  hear,"  interrupted  the  sister,  in  a  mournful 
voice,  like  a  wind  across  a  burial-ground. 

"  Tell  the  porter  that  my  mistress — that  Miss  Cameron 
says " 


HIS     DISCOVERY.  85 

These  words  reached  Aylmer's  ear.  He  was  not  asleep, 
only  lying  quiet,  recalling  those  hours  of  delirium  bright- 
ened by  the  fancied  companionship  of  that  beautiful 
woman  ;  just  tired  enough  after  his  recent  exertions  to 
enjoy  the  sort  of  waking  dream  wherein  her  image  floated 
up  from  the  misty  depths  of  the  past  days'  mental  wander- 
ings, only  all  the  while  conscious  of  a  vague  regret  that 
there  had  been  no  reality  in  them. 

And  straight  across  his  reverie  Antonio  flung  her  name  ; 
he  heard  it  distinctly,  cautiously  as  the  man  spoke. 

"  My  mistress — Miss  Cameron  !" 

Aylmer  half  raised  himself  on  his  pillow,  listened 
eagerly,  but  not  another  syllable  could  he  catch.  He  sank 
back  again,  and  when  Antonio  reached  the  bed,  his  face 
was  turned  towards  the  wail  :  apparently  he  still  slept. 

There  he  lay  thinking — thinking.  He  did  not  wish  to 
ask  a  question  yet ;  only  to  lie  in  luxurious  invalid  ease,  and 
dwell  upon  the  new  reflection  which  warmed  his  very  soul. 

That  recollection  so  strongly  impressed  upon  his  mind 
was  no  part  of  his  delusions  !  She  had  been  there — again 
and  again — appearing  in  her  loveliness  to  quiet  him  when 
that  fear  of  some  inexplicable  danger  which  she  ran,  ren- 
dered his  fancies  insupportable  pain.  She  had  sat  by  his  bed  ; 
it  was  no  trick  of  imagination  that  he  could  still  feel  the 
touch  of  her  hand  on  his — hear  the  sound  of  her  voice 
which,  even  while  he  thought  his  conviction  of  having 
heard  it  a  cheat,  thrilled  his  heart  like  a  strain  of  music. 

It  was  all  real  !  She  had  cared — she  had  come  to  him  ! 
They  had,  as  he  remembered  telling  her  over  and  over,  grown 
friends.  He  could  recall  other  avowals  he  had  made — of  hav- 
ing known  and  loved  her  in  some  existence  anterior  to  this  ; 
where,  where  ?  No  matter  !  He  had  found  her  again,  and 
they  should  never  part  anymore — never!  She  had  promised! 

And  he  had  actually  uttered  these  declarations  to  her — 
not  to  a  creature  of  his  imagination  assuming  her  likeness, 
but  to  her  !  He  exulted  to  think  those  interviews  had  been 
no  fantasy  !  Then  he  recalled  the  visit  when  he  had  spoken 
to  her  about  the  flowers,  and  they  really  had  lain  upon  his 
pillow,  and  her  hand  had  placed  them  there  !  And  think- 
ing these  things,  at  length  he  fell  asleep.  When  he  woke, 
Antonio  had  disappeared,  and  the  professor  stood  at  the 
foot  of  the  bed  regarding  him  with  an  affectionately  fero- 
cious glance. 


86  HIS     DISCOVERT. 

"  Upon  my  word,  young  man,  you  will  soon  equal  the 
exploits  of  the  Seven  Sleepers,"  said  he.  "  I  told  you  to 
rest  twenty  minutes  or  so,  and  you  have  slept  like  a  rock 
for  more  than  an  hour,  and  your  soup  has  twice  been  sent 
back  to  keep  hot." 

Aylmer  laughed  in  a  joyous  fashion.  The  thought  which 
had  gone  with  him  into  slumber  was  uppermost  in  his  mind 
when  he  woke. 

"  Odd,"  quoth  the  professor,  "  that  only  men  and 
hyenas  share  the  capacity  for  laughter.  Ah,  I  forgot, 
the  animal  called  the  Australian  jackass.  But  the  folly  is 
perhaps  excusable  in  a  fellow  so  weak  bodily  and  mentally 
as  you." 

"  I  feel  strong  as  a  second  Hercules  !  I  am  well — you 
have  cured  me,  old  Esculapius — do  you  hear  ?  And  I  want 
my  soup  ;  if  it  doesn't  come  instantly,  I'll  eat  the  sister  !" 

"  What  an  overdose  of  religion  you  would  get,"  said 
the  professor,  eyeing  him  narrowly.  "  Yes,  you  are  quite 
yourself  again  !  I  forgive  your  sleeping  longer  than  I 
ordered,  since  it  has  done  you  so  much  good.  And  here 

comes  the  soup,  and By  the  hammer  of  Thor,  did 

I  bid  you  bring  chicken,  too,  you  silly  she  prayer-monger?" 
cried  the  professor,  scowling  at  the  sister,  but,  luckily  for 
her  peace  of  mind,  uttering  the  epithets  which  closed  his 
sentence  in  German.  She  had  grown  accustomed  to  his 
ferocity,  and  enjoyed  his  grim  humor  in  her  demure 
fashion,  though  his  jokes  often  caused  her  to  say  many 
extra  aves  (and  she  said  enough  at  any  time),  because 
afraid  such  hearty  laughter  might  be  a  sin. 

"  Yes,  you  did,  and  I  mean  to  eat  it  to  the  last  scrap," 
said  Aylmer. 

He  fortified  himself  with  his  repast  before  he  took  any 
further  notice  of  the  professor,  who  studied  him  attentively 
while  pretending  to  read  a  newspaper. 

"  That  hour's  sleep  would  not  account  for  the  change," 
thought  the  savant.  "  Some  mental  shock — a  pleasant  one 
— has  happened  to  him.  A  shock  !  How  ? — who  would 
dare  give  my  patient  a  shock  without  permission,  I  should 
like  to  know  !" 

He  scowled  towards  each  corner  of  the  room  in  turn  at 
an  imaginary  offender,  finally  concentrating  his  gaze  on 
the  marble  nymph,  and  so  formidable  was  he  of  aspect, 
that  had  the  figure  been  Galatea  newly  awakened  to  life, 


HIS     DISCOVERT.  87 

she  certainly  would  have  speedily  petrified  under  his  awful 
stare. 

"Professor  !"  said  Aylraer,  abruptly. 

"  It  is  coming  !"  meditated  the  savant.  "  Whatever  it 
may  be,  it  is  coming  !  After  all,  better  than  for  him  to  be 
brooding  over  fancies." 

Though  the  learned  man  did  not  know  it,  this  reflection 
was  an  excuse  he  offered  his  conscience  for  the  curiosity  he 
felt  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  convalescent's  high  spirits, 
and  as  curiosity  is  a  weakness  unworthy  a  philosopher,  he 
gave  it  another  name  in  order  to  avoid  self-contempt. 

"  Professor  !"  repeated  Aylmer,  with  the  impatience 
always  considered  allowable  in  a  person  just  turning  into 
the  highroad  of  recovery  after  a  dangerous  illness. 

"  Eh  ?  did  you  speak  ?"  asked  the  wise  man,  deceitfully 
pretending  to  rouse  himself  with  difficulty  from  some  inter- 
esting paragraph,  and  holding  the  journal  partially  before 
his  face. 

"  Please  to  lay  down  that  newspaper  for  a  moment," 
said  Aylmer. 

"  What,  what !"  growled  the  professor.  "  He  begins  to 
order  his  doctor  about.  The  school-boy  rises  against  his 
master,  the  pot  questions  the  potter  !  Come,  come,  none 
of  that,  you  rebel,  else  I'll  find  a  dose  that  will  make  you 
as  obedient  as  you  were  two  days  since." 

Aylmer  laughed  again.  There  was  such  a  ring  of  re- 
turning health  and  strength  in  the  merriment  that  it  sounded 
like  music  to  the  professor's  ears. 

"  Whose  bouse  did  you  tell  me  this  was  ?"  demanded 
Aylmer. 

"  So  !"  said  the  savant,  mentally.  "  I  thought  that 
was  it !" 

"  Can't  you  answer  ?  whose  house  ?"  persisted  the 
patient. 

"  Did  I  say  ?"  returned  the  professor,  in  a  questioning 
tone,  as  if  trying  to  call  to  mind  any  such  information  on 
his  part. 

"  Yes,  you  did,"  retorted  Aylmer  ;  "  you  know  you  did. 
You  said  it  was  yours." 

"  Oh,  very  well  ;  if  I  told  you,  there  is  no  necessity  of 
interrupting  my  reading  in  order  to  ask  again,"  said  the 
professor,  coolly.  "  Here  is  a  very  interesting  resume  of 


88  HIS     DISCOVERT. 

a  speech  by  Gladstone  ;  if  you  like  I'll  read  it  to  you,  as  a 
reward  for  being  so  well  to-day." 

"  I  don't  care  a  fig  about  Gladstone's  speech — it  is  youra 
I  am  thinking  of,"  answered  Ayltuer,  gayly.  "  You  did  say 
this  house  was  yours  !" 

"You  have  already  made  that  assertion  ;  you  have  made 
a  great  many  other  foolish  ones  during  the  last  weeks.  I 
hope  you  are  not  losing  your  head  again — not  much  of  a 
head,  to  be  sure,  but,  as  it  is  the  best  you've  got,  it  would 
be  wiser  to  stick  to  it,"  said  the  professor. 

"  Come  now,  leave  prevarication  to  your  pet  Bismarck 
and  his  fellow-diplomatists.  You  said  this  was  your 
house." 

"  What  a  persistent  devil  !  Very  well,  for  the  sake  of 
peace,  admit  that  I  did  ;  what  then  ?" 

"  Why,  it  is  not." 

"Then  we  have  come  to  the  end  of  the  matter,  and  I 
can  read  my  newspaper,"  replied  the  professor. 

Aylmer  snatched  the  journal  with  boyish  playfulness. 

"You  can't  escape  that  way,"  said  he.  "You  said  it 
was  your  house,  and  it  isn't,  and  so " 

"  I  told  a  lie,  that's  all,"  interrupted  the  professor,  com- 
placently. 

"  Of  course  you  did  :  what  for  ?"  questioned  Aylmer. 

"  To  keep  you  from  fretting  and  worrying  and  making 
an  idiot  of  yourself,  you  ungrateful  development  of  a  pro- 
toplasm," cried  the  professor,  laughing  too. 

"Then  it  is  Miss  Cameron's  house  !  She  did  come  to 
see  me — I  did  not  dream  it !"  exclaimed  Aylmer,  excitedly. 

"  And  if  you  are  going  to  lash  yourself  into  fresh  fever 
I'll  go  away  !"  thundered  the  professor. 

"  No,  no — don't,  don't !  Tell  me  all  about  it,  like  a 
good-natured  old  fellow  as  you  are." 

"  I'll  not  be  called  good-natured  ;  that  is  one  insult  too 
many,"  cried  the  professor. 

"  What  a  dolt  I  was  to  let  myself  be  convinced  that  her 
coming  was  a  dream,"  Aylraer  continued  half  aloud,  with  a 
sudden  color  in  his  face,  a  sudden  brightness  in  his  eyes, 
which  caused  the  doctor  to  make  a  hasty  clutch  at  his  wrist 
to  ascertain  what  story  the  pulse  was  telling. 

"  If  you  excite  yourself  I'll  shave  your  head  at  once  ! 
I've  had  worry  enough  over  you, "said  he. 

"  I've  no  more  fever  than  you,"  retorted  Aylrner.    Then 


HIS     DISCOVERT.  89 

he  laid  his  hand  on  the  professor's  and  added  coaxingly  : 
"  Ah,  now  tell  me  all  about  it.  See,  I  am  perfectly  quiet, 
and  I  want  to  hear." 

"  Well,  well,"  grumbled  the  professor,  charmed  with  the 
spirit  in  which  his  patient  received  this  discovery.  "The  all 
is  easily  told.  After  the  horses  tumbled  you  over  you  were 
put  into  the  carriage,  and  she — Miss  Cameron — brought  you 
into  Florence  and  drove  to  my  house.  We  didn't  know 
where  you  lived  ;  my  place  was  upset.  We  couldn't  ex- 
actly consign  you  to  a  hospital,  so  she  brought  you  here. 
That's  the  whole." 

"  I  did  not  dream  it,"  Aylmer  was  thinking.  "  She  has 
been  here  often,  talked  to  me,  held  my  hand,  sat  in  that 
very  chair."  He  glanced  towards  the  fauteuil  in  which  the 
professor  was  established,  and  exclaimed  imperiously  : 
"  Get  up  out  of  that  chair  ;  take  another  !" 

"  There,  he  is  mad  again  ;  I  was  sure  of  it,"  snarled  the 
professor. 

"  I  will  be,  unless  you  do  exactly  as  I  say.  It's  my  turn 
to  give  orders  now,"  said  Aylmer,  laughing,  but  tugging  at 
the  savant's  hand  with  such  force  as  he  could  muster. 

"  Come,  I'll  take  this  one,"  said  the  professor,  rising. 
"Now  tell  me  why,  you  rebel." 

"Oh,  I  couldn't  see  you  so  well " 

"  That's  not  a  prevarication — that's  a  falsehood  !"  broke 
in  the  savant. 

"  You  perceive  what  your  example  has  done,"  said  Ayl- 
mer. "  It  was  just  a  sudden  whim  that  made  me  wish  you 
to  get  up.  I  may  have  whims — a  sick  man's  privilege." 

"Well,  well,"  returned  the  professor,  "you  may  do 
pretty  much  what  you  like.  I  am  content  with  you  for 
taking  the  news  as  you  do.  You  can  understand  why  I  let 
you  think  yourself  in  my  house.  You  would  have  worried 
over  being  a  trouble,  perhaps  have  insisted  on  being  re- 
moved, and  that — well,  that  would  have  made  a  pretty  ket- 
tle of  fish,"  concluded  the  professor,  inelegantly  but  for- 
cibly. 

Aylmer  was  dreaming  again.  That  voice  rang  in  his 
ear — the  touch  of  those  slender  fingers  thrilled  his  pulses 
anew.  He  roused  himself,  becoming  suddenly  aware  of 
the  professor's  last  speech  in  the  odd  way  in  which,  when 
occupied  with  some  engrossing  thought,  one  does  recall 


90  HER     COMING. 

words  that  one  was  not  aware  of  hearing  when  they  were 
uttered. 

"  All  the  same,  it  is  shocking  to  think  what  a  bore  I 
have  been,"  he  said,  but  there  was  slight  compunction  in  his 
tone.  "  I  can  be  removed,  and  I  must  be  ;"  and  now  his 
accent  sounded  regretful  enough. 

"  Nothing  can  be  arranged  to-day.  You  have  done 
enough,  and  too  much,"  replied  the  professor.  "  Lie  down 
like  a  sensible  fellow,  else  you  will  not  be  fit  to  stir  for 
another  week.  So,  so  !  be  a  good  boy,  and  listen  to  Glad- 
stone's eloquence." 

Aylmer  consented  with  praiseworthy  obedience,  glad  to 
have  another  half-hour  with  his  pleasant  fancies.  The 
reading  would  not  disturb  their  course,  and  the  professor 
was  as  well  aware  of  this  fact  as  the  patient. 

"Yes,  read  to  me,"  Aylmer  added  absently,  as  he  lay 
back  among  his  pillows. 

The  doctor  took  up  the  newspaper  again,  and  readjusted 
his  glasses,  then  dropped  both,  struck  by  a  new  thought. 

"  Sapperment !"  he  exclaimed  ;  "  how  did  you  find  out  ? 
Who  told  you — who  dared,  after  my  express  orders  ?" 

"  Never  mind  how — I  know  it.  Nobody  told  me.  I 
evolved  it  out  of  my  inner  consciousness,  as  if  I  had  been 
a  German  professor,"  said  Aylmer. 

They  both  laughed  ;  then  the  savant  began  the  speech, 
and  Aylmer  lay  quiet,  and  for  a  whole  hour  there  was  no 
sound  in  the  room  save  the  reader's  slow,  deep  tones. 

"  But  he  has  not  heard  a  syllable,"  thought  that  gentle- 
man, glancing  up  as  he  turned  a  page.  "  No  matter,  it 
keeps  him  quiet ;  that  is  the  important  thing  just  now." 


CHAPTER  IX. 
HER  COMING. 


HE  afternoon  passed — evening  was  drawing  on. 
Before  the  professor  set  out  for  a  walk  he 
looked    into   Aylmer's    room.      He   found    his 
patient   sitting  up,  but   not  in  the    easy-chair 
from  which  he  had  obliged  the  doctor  to  rise — 
he  had  refused  that — bidding  the  sister  place  it  opposite 


HER     COMING.  01 

him.  She  obeyed  his  direction,  too  much  accustomed  to 
sick  people's  vagaries  to  give  his  whim  a  thought,  any  more 
than  she  had  done  his  sudden  fussiness  over  the  arrange- 
ment of  his  hair  and  the  difficulty  he  made  about  his  attire, 
insisting  that  he  would  not  wear  a  dressing-gown,  and  giv- 
ing her  no  peace  until  she  found  among  his  wardrobe  a 
certain  loose  breakfast-coat,  which  proved  a  very  pictur- 
esque and  becoming  garment,  with  its  wide  sleeves  and  the 
tracery  of  dark  blue  that  relieved  its  gray  tint. 

"  I'm  all  right,"  Aylmer  replied  to  the  professor's  ques- 
tions. "  But  it  begins  to  be  confoundedly  lonesome  staying 
cooped  up  here  by  myself." 

"  So  !"  thought  the  savant ;  then  added  aloud  :  "  I  mean 
to  bring  you  a  visitor — but  mind,  if  I  find  you  excited  and 
feverish  when  I  get  back,  you'll  not  see  a  human  face  again, 
except  that  salad-in-a-cellar  looking  sister,  for  another 
week." 

"  I'll  be  as  good  as  gold  if  only  I'm  not  left  alone,"  re- 
turned Aylmer  ;  "  but  let  me  go  into  the  salon.  I  want  a 
change." 

The  professor  assisted  him  into  the  next  room,  coaxed 
him  to  half  lie  down  on  a  sofa  and  promise  not  to  stir ; 
then  he  went  away  without  having  vouchsafed  any  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  the  visitor,  nor  had  Aylmer  so  much  as 
asked. 

It  was  sunset  ;  through  a  great  arched  window  swept  a 
soft  glow  from  the  western  sky.  He  could  look  over  a 
stretch  of  green  lawn,  across  a  group  of  oleanders,  down  a 
broad  alley,  which  led  away  into  the  recesses  of  the  garden 
— one  of  the  largest  and  finest  in  Florence. 

In  the  distance,  walking  slowing  up  the  path,  he  saw  a 
woman's  figure — a  figure  which  he  recognized.  (Remem- 
ber, he  was  just  escaping  from  the  dominion  of  that  Giant 
Despair  called  illness,  so  wild  thoughts  and  irrational 
fancies  were  excusable  !)  It  was  not  the  Miss  Cameron 
whom  the  world  knew — the  lady  he  had  only  seen  on  four 
occasons  while  able  to  recognize  her  as  a  real  presence.  It 
was  the  beautiful  vision  that  had  so  many  times  appeared 
at  his  eager  summons  when  in  his  hours  of  delirium  she 
alone  could  keep  his  soul  from  drifting  down  the  blacker 
gulf  which  loomed  beyond.  The  vision  he  had  addressed 
so  freely — the  incarnation  of  the  spirit  he  had  known  in 
some  lost  world  where  their  union  possessed  such  complete- 


92  ,       HER     COMING. 

ness  that  their  two  lives  formed  a  perfect  whole — one,  yet 
dual,  and  this  duality  had  made  the  bliss  of  living,  and 

But  he  recognized  the  absurdity  of  his  reflections,  and 
almost  thought  himself  insane  again.  He  sat  upright  and 
looked  eagerly  out  at  the  approaching  form,  trying  to  sub- 
due those  vagaries  of  imagination  by  the  force  of  his  will. 

Involuntarily  he  uttered  her  name,  then  began  to  won- 
der how  he  knew  she  was  called  Violet ;  but  he  had  no  leis- 
ure to  recollect,  for  unawares  he  spoke  aloud  and  roused 
the  sister  seated  in  the  adjoining  salon.  She  supposed  he 
had  summoned  her,  and,  dropping  her  half-counted  rosary, 
appeared  in  the  doorway. 

"  Does  the  signore  want  something  ?"  she  said. 

And  he,  impatient,  afraid  to  turn  his  eyes  from  the  case- 
ment lest  the  figure  beneath  the  oleanders  should  fade,  and 
so  prove  to  him  that  he  was  the  victim  of  fresh  delusions, 
only  waved  her  back  with  a  gesture  at  once  imperious  and 
supplicating.  The  good  sister,  trained  by  long  experience 
in  sick-rooms  till  her  commonplace  mind  had  reached  a 
knowledge  of  what  it  was  best  to  do  under  any  and  every 
circumstance,  quietly  returned  to  her  chair,  and  fell  to 
counting  her  beads  again. 

And  still,  through  the  window-pane  and  the  oleander 
boughs,  Aylmer  watched  with  his  soul  in  his  eyes,  and  to 
convince  himself  of  his  own  sanity,  tried  to  separate  Miss 
Cameron  the  actual  from  the  visionary  creature  of  his 
feverish  dreams — tried,  but  could  not. 

He  positively  studied  each  detail  of  her  dress  in  his 
effort  to  be  rational.  She  must  have  just  come  in  from  a 
drive  ;  her  long  green  silken  petticoat  swept  over  the 
ground  in  heavy  folds  ;  above  it  was  looped  a  tunic  of 
some  thick  dead  white  material,  bordered  by  the  brilliant 
plumage  of  tropical  birds  ;  beneath  her  cavalier's  hat  with 
its  drooping  feather,  he  could  see  the  bands  and  falling 
masses  of  her  auburn  hair  which  the  sunlight  turned  to 
gold. 

She  stopped  to  examine  a  flowering  shrub — lifted  her 
arm  to  pull  a  branch  within  reach.  The  rays  fell  full  upon 
her  face — sent  a  wave  of  light  into  the  great  eyes — flitted 
over  the  melancholy  mouth  as  if  seeking  to  win  a  smile. 

It  was  she — the  woman  the  world  knew — Violet  Cam- 
eron ;  all  the  same,  it  was  the  vision  of  the  past  days — his 
friend — his  queen — his  soul  of  soul ! 


HER     COMING.  93 

Then  he  heard  a  voice  call  abruptly,  and  came  back  to 
reality  with  a  shock.  A  pane  of  the  window  stood  open  ; 
he  could  not  see  the  sage,  but  there  was  no  mistaking  those 
tones. 

"  Fraulein,"  they  said,  "  I  have  been  hunting  for  you  ! 
My  adored  Miss  Bronson  told  me  that  you  had  come  in 
from  your  drive.  Why  do  you  hide  in  the  garden  like  a 
Dryad  when  I  want  you  ?" 

She  did  not  answer  ;  waved  her  hand  to  the  unseen 
speaker  and  disappeared. 

With  a  sigh  arid  a  sensation  of  terrible  impatience 
which  rendered  each  second  interminable,  Aylmer  leaned 
his  head  back  against  the  sofa  cushions  and  waited. 

He  would  not  look  out — the  garden  appeared  suddenly 
to  have  grown  dark  ;  its  depths,  thick  with  shadows,  re- 
minded him  of  the  blackness  into  which  sometimes  in  his 
fever  he  had  been  forced  to  gaze.  He  waited,  that  burn- 
ing impatience  growing  stronger.  During  his  illness  the 
vision  had  always  appeared  at  such  moments  :  would  Miss 
Cameron  come  now  and  thereby  prove  her  identity  with 
it  ?  Or  was  this  present  instant  only  part  and  parcel  of 
the  former  fancies — nothing  real — even  the  discovery  of  the 
morning  delusion  also  ? 

So  far  he  reached  in  his  questionings,  then  his  strained 
senses  caught  the  opening  and  closing  of  a  door  ;  caught 
the  rustle  of  female  garments  nearer — coming  nearer. 

Where  he  sat  he  could  not  see  into  the  rooms  beyond, 
but  the  sweep  of  those  silken  robes,  soft  as  the  plash  of 
water  in  a  crystal  basin,  thrilled  him  till  the  ecstasy  became 
pain,  because  it  roused  anew  the  fear  that  everything — 
face — glorious  eyes — slow  gliding  step — musical  rustle — 
was  a  fantasy.  Then  he  heard  her  voice — ah,  it  was  all 
real — her  voice ! 

She  was  speaking  to  the  sister,  making  some  kind  in- 
quiry, then  he  heard  nothing  more.  His  pulses  surged  up 
in  such  united,  tumultuous  beat  that  he  grew  deaf  and 
blind. 

After  this  dizzy  pause  came  her  tones  again,  close  at 
hand,  addressing  him,  bringing  him  back  to  reality,  but  a 
reality  which  was  a  higher  heaven  even  than  his  dreams. 

"  The  professor  bade  me  come  and  sit  with  you.  No- 
body ever  ventures  to  disobey  the  professor,  so  you  cannot 
send  me  away." 


94  HER     COMING. 

The  whirling  mists  cleared  from  before  his  eyes,  and  he 
saw  her  standing  on  the  threshold.  Through  the  arched 
window  floated  a  broad  ray  of  red-golden  light,  and  illumi- 
nated face  and  figure  as  she  stood.  In  his  excitement  he 
forgot  the  courteous  phrases  he  was  trying  to  frame — 
could  only  stretch  out  his  hands  in  eager  welcome,  crying, 
uncertain  whether  he  addressed  the  creation  of  his  fancies 
or  the  living  woman  : 

"  I  thought  you  would  never  come  again  !  I  thought 
you  would  never  come  !" 

And  Violet,  mistress  of  herself  as  she  supposed,  was 
forced,  in  order  to  convince  something  in  her  soul  of  this 
supremacy,  to  inform  reason  that  the  strange  thrill  which 
shook  her  rose  out  of  a  fear  that  the  professor  had  erred  in 
thinking  his  patient  wholly  recovered  from  fever. 

"So  I  must  humor  him,"  she  thought,  moved  towards 
the  sofa,  let  him  take  her  hand,  and  said  aloud  : 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  so  well.  But  you  are  not  to  tire 
yourself.  The  professor  will  never  forgive  me  if  he  finds 
that  a  visitor  has  excited  you." 

"  It  is  such  a  rest — such  a  rest !"  Aylmer  murmured,  for 
a  few  instants  unable  to  lift  his  dizzy  head  from  the  cush- 
ions, unable  to  check  or  regulate  his  utterance  ;  holding  her 
hand  fast  ;  his  eyes,  unnaturally  large  from  illness,  fixed 
yearningly  upon  her  face.  "It  is  not  a  dream — say  that  it 
is  not  a  dream  !" 

With  an  effort  Violet  roused  herself  to  the  requirements 
of  her  role  as  visitor  to  an  invalid,  accredited  by  the  physi- 
cian with  sufficient  sense  to  render  her  coming  a  benefit,  not 
a  harm. 

She  drew  her  hands  away  gently,  though  obliged  to 
employ  a  certain  force  to  release  them,  and  sat  down  in  an 
arm-chair  by  his  sofa,  saying,  with  a  playfulness  which  was 
a  greater  effort  still : 

"  The  professor  does  not  permit  his  patients  to  have 
fancies  when  they  are  able  to  sit  up  and  receive  guests.  So 
take  care,  for  one  never  knows  when  he  may  be  hovering 
about.  Any  way,  I  see  his  great  meerschaum  pipe  with  the 
ogre's  head  lying  on  the  table  ;  I  am  certain  it  is  listening, 
and  will  repeat  every  word.  How  wicked  it  looks,  to  be 
sure  !  I  always  tell  him  it  is  his  familiar." 

Aylmer  recovered  self-control  to  recollect  that  he  risked 
making  this  interview  the  last  if  he  did  not  manage  to  get 


HER    COMING.  95 

back  reason  enough  to  separate  dreams  and  reality,  and 
behave  like  an  ordinary  convalescent  receiving  an  ordinary 
visit. 

"  I  am  afraid  be  bas  smoked  the  rooms  out  of  all  possi- 
bility of  ever  being  habitable — Miss  Cameron." 

The  little  pause  before  pronouncing  her  name  was 
caused  by  the  effort  required  to  repress  a  word  which 
would  have  utterly  ruined  the  success  of  his  speech  in 
proving  his  sanity — he  had  come  so  near  saying  Violet. 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  replied  ;  "I  shall  like  the  trace  of  his  pres- 
ence. I  have  a  great  weakness  for  the  good,  gruff  old 
doctor." 

The  fright  which  his  hardly  repressed  blunder  occa- 
sioned Aylmer  helped  him  on  to  a  tolerable  pretense  of 
composure. 

"  Good  to  me  indeed  !"  he  said.  "  How  am  I  ever  to 
thank  him  or  you,  Miss  Cameron  ?" 

"  I  should  think,  where  I  am  concerned,  forgiveness 
would  be  the  difficulty,  since  but  for  me  you  would  not 
have  met  with  your  accident,  would  not " 

She  left  her  sentence  unfinished. 

"  I  am  so  thankful  I  was  there,"  he  half  whispered. 

Again  his  hand  stretched  out  to  take  hers  ;  then  he  re- 
membered that  such  privilege  was  at  an  end  ;  and  she, 
noting  his  gesture,  had  to  recollect  that  obedience  to  his 
caprices  was  no  longer  a  necessity,  so  natural  would  it  have 
seemed  to  let  her  fingers  drop  into  his. 

"  We  must  not  talk  of  all  that  yet,"  she  said,  as  he  hur- 
riedly drew  back  his  arm.  "  Some  time  thanks  will  be 
mine  to  offer,  if  I  can  find  words." 

"No,  no " 

"  The  ogre  is  listening  ;  his  grim  eyes  plainly  say,  '  No 
exciting  subjects,'  "  she  interrupted,  laughingly.  "  I  am 
very,  very  glad  to  find  you  doing  so  well,  Mr.  Aylmer. 
You  have  had  a  weary  bout,  but  thank  heaven  it  is  over." 

"  Yes,  I  am  quite  sound  again.  I  shall  be  able  to  re- 
move and  let  your  house  end  its  term  of  serving  as  hospi- 
tal," he  answered,  conscious  that  his  words  were  fairly  un- 
gracious, yet  unable  to  check  them.  He  felt  hurt  by  her 
determination  to  keep  the  conversation  on  an  ordinary  foot- 
ing, even  though  he  had  just  been  mentally  admitting  the 
necessity. 

"  The  professor  will  settle  all  that,"  she  answered.    "He 


96  HER    COMING. 

will  permit  no  interference,  especially  from  his  patient. 
As  for  me,  I  am  sure  I  do  not  need  to  tell  you  how  glad  I 
have  been  that  I  could  be  of  the  slightest  use  in  any 
fashion." 

"  In  more  ways  than  one  you  have  shown  that  kind- 
ness," he  said,  a  fresh  eagerness  quickening  his  voice.  "  I 
can  remember — everything  begins  to  come  back  quite  clearly 
— how  good  you  were  to  sit  with  me  when  I  had  driven  the 
professor  to  the  end  of  his  resources  and  his  patience." 

He  remembered  ?  Surely  only  the  fact  which  he  had 
just  stated — nothing  beyond  the  certainty  that  she  used  to 
sit  with  him  and  possessed  an  ability  to  soothe  his  pain. 
He  did  not  recollect  his  delirious  utterances,  when  to  quiet 
him  she  talked  as  great  nonsense  as  he — humored  his  fancy 
about  the  lost  world  where  they  had  known  each  other — 
allowed  him  to  kiss  her  hands  !  Oh,  assuredly  he  did  not 
remember  those  things.  To  think  he  did  would  render  their 
future  intercourse  difficult,  for  they  had  yet  to  become  ac- 
quainted. This  was  the  strangest  part  of  the  matter,  as 
strange  to  Violet  as  to  him. 

"  You  had  a  visit  from  the  marchese  this  morning," 
she  said  abruptly,  just  for  the  sake  of  breaking  the 
silence. 

"  Oh  yes,  he  is  very  good-natured,"  Aylmer  answei-ed 
wearily.  "  But  men,  though  they  are  well  enough  when 
one  is  strong,  are  so  out  of  place  in  a  sick-room.  Carlo 
fell  over  a  footstool  and  upset  a  glass  of  water  on  the  bed. 
He  meant  it  all  for  the  best  ;  but  it  is  trying,  you  know." 

"  Very,  no  doubt,"  Violet  said,  laughing.  "  However, 
those  trifles  will  soon  cease  to  annoy  you  ;  you  are  recover- 
ing so  fast  that  before  long  it  will  be  your  turn  to  upset 
furniture  and  spill  goblets  of  water  over  sick  people." 

"  Oh,  no  doubt,  though  the  professor  says  I  must  take 
great  care,"  said  Aylmer,  with  a  sudden  wicked  repulsion 
against  this  rapid  recovery,  which  would  involve  being 
cast  out  of  Paradise. 

No  doubt  it  was  delightful  to  have  health,  but  really 
illness  had  its  compensations.  So  great  did  they  appear 
at  this  instant  that  Aylmer  would  have  resigned  himself  if 
the  professor  had  entered  and  pronounced  that  his  patient 
must  not  stir  from  his  sofa  or  change  his  companion  for  at 
least  a  month. 

Somehow  Violet  perfectly    comprehended    what   gave 


HER    COMING.  97 

rise  to  the  petulant,  even  undignified  answer,  since  one  is 
always  ready  to  smile  at  a  man's  willingness  to  be  careful 
of  his  health.  She  was.  gratified  by  his  dislike  to  go  away, 
though  she  hastened  to  tell  herself  that  this  was  natural 
and  right  on  her  part.  He  had  saved  her  life  ;  she  ought 
to  feel  an  interest  in  him,  to  like  him,  to  wish  to  be 
pleasant  in  his  eyes. 

Then,  after  a  pause,  so  filled  with  thought  to  both  that 
neither  knew  how  long  it  lasted,  Aylmer  added  : 

"  But  all  the  same,  Miss  Cameron,  I  don't  propose  to 
keep  indefinite  possession  of  a  whole  floor  of  your  house. 
It  is  quite  shocking,  and  I  ought — well,  I  ought  to  be 
much  more  ashamed  than  I  am." 

"  Ah,  I  forgive  you  the  rest,  for  the  sake  of  the  end  of 
your  sentence,"  returned  Violet.  "  Nothing — considering 
the  manner  in  which  you  received  your  injury — could  pain 
me  more  than  for  you  to  suppose  that  your  presence  under 
my  roof  was  any  gene" 

"  Thanks.  Yes,  somehow  I  do  know,"  cried  he.  "  You 
see — please  don't  be  vexed — I  forget  that  you  can't  feel 
as  if  you  were  acquainted  with  me.  I  seem  to  know  you 
so  well !  I  mean,  I  got  so  used  to  seeing — to  expecting 
you  when  I  was  ill." 

Here  he  broke  down  ;  Violet  sat  with  bowed  head,  and 
did  not  offer  to  help  him. 

"I  say  it  all  very  badly.  I  am  afraid  it  sounds  dread- 
fully impertinent,"  he  continued,  despairingly  trying  to 
make  amends  if  he  had  said  anything  wrong,  yet  conscious 
that  if  she  chose  to  be  offended,  each  word  led  him  deeper 
into  the  slough  ;  "  but  I  have  to  try  and  say  it  the  best  I 
can  in  my  clumsy  way  !  You  don't  mind,  do  you  ?  And 
you  have  been  so  good  to  me  that  I  can't  seem  just  like  a 
stranger — they  say  people  never  do  to  whom  one  has  been 
kind  !  I  am  sure  I  only  confuse  things  worse  each  word  I 
speak  ;  but  you  do  understand  ?" 

And  Violet,  ashamed  of  the  sudden  fit  of  shyness  which 
had  kept  her  silent  under  the  eager  glances  that  pointed 
his  speech,  looked  up  and  smiled,  holding  out  her  hand  as 
she  did  so. 

"  I  understand  that  we  are  very  good  friends  and  mean 
to  remain  so,"  she  answered. 

"Ah  !"  was  his  only  response,  but  the  tone  held  such 
a  ring  of  contentment  that  it  spoke  volumes. 
5 


98  HER    COMING. 

He  did  not  seem  inclined  to  let  her  hand  go  now  he  had 
possession  of  it,  but  she  drew  it  away  presently,  and  began 
to  talk  of  other  things  than  those  which  had  immediate 
connection  with  themselves. 

The  room  had  tilled  with  the  shadows  of  twilight — 
neither  knew.  Violet  was  brought  back  to  a  sense  of  the 
length  of  her  visit  by  noticing  that  the  sister  had  lighted  a 
lamp. 

"  I  shall  be  late  for  dinner,"  she  said,  rising  ;  "as  I 
have  guests,  it  will  not  do  to  keep  them  waiting.  I  hope 
before  long  you  will  be  able  to  join  us,  Mr.  Aylmer." 

"Yes,  I  hope  so!"  Then,  very  dolefully,  "Must  you 
go  ?  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon  !  It  was  so  kind  of  you  to 
come." 

"  How  is  he,  that  newly-come-back-to-life  atom  ?"  called 
a  voice  from  the  door,  and  the  professor  entered. 

"  Much  better,  I  am  sure,"  Violet  said. 

"  Yes  ;  Miss  Cameron's  visit  has  done  me  more  good 
than  all  your  drugs,"  said  Aylmer. 

"As  if  I  gave  drugs  !  Well,  never  mind.  Yes — better  : 
pulse  good.  Come,  come,  it  is  all  right  !  Miss  Cameron 
must  promise  to  visit  you  to-morrow." 

"Mr.  Aylmer  wishes  to  run  away  at  once,"  she  said. 

"  I  forbid  it  !"  cried  the  doctor.  "  He  must  not  make 
any  change  for  some  days  yet.  I'll  not  have  him  upset  the 
good  effects  of  my  care  by  any  nonsensical  scruples." 

Aylmer  would  have  liked  to  hug  the  old  man. 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  said  Violet ;  "  it  would  be  very 
ungrateful." 

"  I  really  am  in  earnest,"  the  professor  continued  ;  "  a 
change  from  one  house  to  another  is  a  serious  matter.  Do 
what  we  might,  it  would  be  like  a  new  climate." 

"  You  hear  ?"  said  Violet,  once  more  offering  her  hand 
to  the  invalid.  "  Try  not  to  regret  your  imprisonment  too 
much  ;  we  will  lighten  it  all  we  can." 

She  went  out  of  the  room,  leaving  the  faint  perfume 
which  hung  about  her  dress  to  soothe  him  by  its  fragrance, 
and  he,  without  remonstrance,  yielded  to  the  professor's 
order  that  he  was  to  go  to  bed  ;  and,  once  there,  slept 
soundly  and  well. 


MI-CAREME.  99 

CHAPTER   X. 

MI-CARlhlE. 

OWARDS  the  close  of  Aylmer's  imprisonment  he 
was  able,  with  the  help  of  Antonio's  arm,  to  get 
up  stairs  several  times. 

On  his  first  visit,  to  the  intense  amusement 
of  the  observers,  he  achieved  a  wonderful  ex- 
ploit— thoroughly  charmed  Miss  Bronson.  From  that  hour 
she  forgot  all  fear  for  her  own  and  Violet's  reputation. 
Whenever  Aylmer  remembered  to  enter  some  feeble  pro- 
test against  remaining  any  longer  a  nuisance,  Eliza  proved 
the  most  urgent  in  her  warnings  that  he  must  have  patience 
and  commit  no  imprudence,  and  waxed  pathetic  over  his 
using  a  word  which  might  imply  that  he  thought  his  friends 
capable  of  wearying  in  the  pursuance  of  what  was  at  once 
a  duty  and  pleasure — the  careful  guarding  of  his  conva- 
lescence. 

She  fretted  him  a  good  deal  by  rushing  about  in  his 
wake  with  footstools,  unexpectedly  burying  him  under  rugs 
or  shawls  to  avert  insidious  draughts,  uttering  doleful  little 
squeaks  when  he  rose  suddenly,  convinced  that  he  was 
about  to  fall,  and  selecting  her  stateliest  phrases  to  reprove 
the  others  for  their  lack  of  attention.  Once  the  professor 
declared  that  in  his  opinion  his  late  patient  was  a  lazy 
young  dog  who  pretended  weakness  in  order  to  excite  sym- 
pathy. Eliza,  as  usual,  accepted  the  jest  as  a  serious  accu- 
sation, turned  sharply  on  the  old  German  and  informed  him 
that  it  was  sufficient  for  a  man  to  be  an  atheist — to  add 
hard-hearted  ness  to  this  sin  rendered  him  a  monster. 

But  Aylmer  bore  her  well-intended  persecutions  with 
outward  patience,  and  would  not  allow  Nina  and  the  savant 
to  tease  her  nearly  so  much  as  they  wished  ;  her  very  pecu- 
liarities had  a  sacredness  in  his  eyes,  because  she  was  inti- 
mately connected  with  Miss  Cameron. 

So  the  little  party,  containing  such  apparently  incon- 
gruous elements,  passed  many  pleasant  houi-s.  It  grew  the 
habit  for  them  all  to  spend  a  great  deal  of  time  in  Aylmer's 
salon.  Carlo  sacrificed  the  attractions  of  cercle  and  cards 


100  MI-CAREME. 

in  an  astounding  fashion,  and  Eliza  accused  the  marchesa 
and  Violet  of  downright  cruelty  if  they  ventured  to  inter- 
fere with  the  convalescent's  claims  by  going  out  to  drive 
or  accepting  any  invitation  for  the  evening. 

But  these  enjoyable  days  came  to  an  end.  Aylmer  grew 
so  well  that  he  needed  more  exercise  than  occasional  walks 
in  the  garden  afforded,  and  of  course  when  he  could  leave 
the  palace  inclosures,  there  was  no  excuse  for  his  returning 
in  the  character  of  resident. 

The  professor  decided  that  a  breath  of  sea-air  would 
prove  beneficial,  so  one  morning  he  carried  Laurence  off  to 
Spezia.  Carlo  and  Nina  went  back  to  the  villa,  and  the 
two  "  lone  ladies "  were  free  to  resume  the  propriety  so 
precious  to  Eliza.  To  Violet's  great  diversion,  before  the 
day  was  over  that  return  caused  the  spinster  a  slight  sensa- 
tion of  boredom,  and  she  positively  snubbed  the  most  potent 
of  all  the  American  colonists  who  chanced  to  pay  her  a 
visit,  and,  learning  that  Mr.  Aylmer  had  been  able  to  quit 
the  house,  ventured  upon  some  congratulatory  remark. 

"You  were  quite  savage  with  that  stately  dame,"  Violet 
said,  when  the  guest  had  departed. 

"My  dear,"  replied  Eliza,  "I  trust  I  shall  never  fail  in 
my  duty  towards  you,  nor  can  I  submit  personally  to  glar- 
ingly gross  injustice.  To  hint  that  it  must  be  a  relief  to 
have  Mr.  Aylmer  gone  was  to  imply  that  we  were  too  selfish 
to  entertain  sympathy  for  illness  and  suffering." 

Violet  good-naturedly  refrained  from  reminding  her 
what  her  own  opinions  had  been  until  recently,  as  the  accu- 
sation of  inconsistency  would  have  cruelly  hurt  the  over- 
sensitive Eliza,  who  believed  herself  entirely  free  from  that 
weakness  so  common  to  humanity. 

The  next  morning  letters  came  from  Mrs.  Danvers  and 
her  step-daughter. 

"  The  poor  lady  has  been  ill,"  Violet  explained.  "  Mary 
has  nursed  her.  Mr.  Danvers's  death  seems  to  have  brought 
them  closer  together — that  is  a  comfort." 

"And  when  does  the  daughter  sail  ?" 

"  There  is  no  time  set  ;  she  cannot  leave  her  step-mother 
yet.  Who  knows  ?  perhaps  they  would  rather  keep  to- 
gether. I  shall  write  to-day  and  make  that  possible,  if 
they  prefer  it." 

Violet  was  conscious  of  wishing  that  they  might  ;  she 
bad  an  odd  shrinking  from  George  Danvers's  daughter. 


MI-CAREHE.  101 

Then  she  reproached  herself  therefor,  and  wrote  kindly  and 
heartily. 

Ten  days  went  by — days  during  which  a  strange  rest- 
lessness asserted  its  supremacy  over  Violet's  will,  changing 
its  form  at  pleasure  with  Protean  facility ;  now  assuming 
the  guise  of  despondency,  anon  of  elation,  and  vexing  her 
always  by  its  lack  of  foundation  in  reason  or  common- 
sense. 

At  length  she  received  a  note  from  Nina,  begging  her 
to  spend  a  few  days  at  the  villa. 

"  I  have  taken  cold,  and  am  feverish  and  miserable," 
the  little  lady  wrote.  "  Those  dreadful  workmen  have  not 
yet  left  the  house  in  town,  so  I  am  forced  to  remain  here. 
Carlo  is  good  as  gold — though  I  do  not  care  to  put  him 
forth  as  transferable  currency — but  I  am  sure  he  is  terribly 
bored.  So  do  come,  like  an  angel — or  like  yourself,  which 
will  be  better.  I  am  afraid  to  ask  dear  Miss  Bronson  to 
accompany  you,  because,  in  order  to  keep  Carlo  at  home,  I 
encourage  waifs  from  the  gaming  set  every  evening,  and 
the  house  resembles  a  small  Monaco  ;  but  if  she  can  sup- 
port the  wickedness,  I  shall  be  charmed  to  see  her." 

Of  course  Violet  would  go.  Nina's  society  was  always 
a  pleasure,  and  a  change  of  any  sort  acceptable  just  now. 
She  gave  Miss  Bronson  the  invitation,  but  that  wise  virgin 
shook  her  head  in  disapproval. 

"  I  have  my  soul  to  think  of,"  she  said  ;  "  and  I  must 
think  of  yours,  since  you  are  so  heedless  !  No,  Violet,  I 
cannot  countenance  gambling.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  severe 
on  the  marchesa  ;  I  pity  her  for  the  ctrait  to  which  she  is 
driven,  but  I  blame  her  too.  Ye  shall  not  put  a  cushion 
under  sin — nay,  not  even  to  bolster  up  a  weak  husband  !" 
added  Eliza,  in  a  terrible  voice. 

It  was  evident  she  fancied  herself  uttering  a  quotation 
from  some  Calvinistic  divine  whose  authority  stood  next 
that  of  the  Bible,  and  Violet  felt  the  mistake  very  natural, 
since  the  phrase  sounded  so  like  the  eloquent  denunciations 
of  those  stern  judges. 

She  reached  the  villa  towards  dusk.  As  the  carriage 
drove  up  Nina  came  flying  out  into  the  portico,  followed 
by  a  pack  of  dogs,  big  and  little,  which  barked  so  furiously 
that  for  a  few  seconds  not  a  word  of  their  mistress's  salu- 
tation was  audible. 

"I  can  only  hear  the  greetings  of  your  abominally 


102  MI-CAREME. 

spoiled  pets,  but  I  suppose,  from  the  expression  of  your 
face,  I  may  conclude  you  are  glad  to  see  me,"  Violet  said, 
when  the  noise  died  away  a  little. 

"  Indeed  I  am  1  You  were  so  late  I  began  to  fear  you 
would  not  come  till  to-morrow.  Don't  abuse  the  dogs  ; 
they  are  only  showing  their  delight  at  your  arrival.  Trot 
is  not  here  ;  she  is  the  happy  mother  of  five  such  pretty 
puppies.  I'll  give  you  a  choice  among  them.  You  must 
go  and  visit  her,  else  her  feelings  will  be  hurt." 

"  I  congratulate  Trot  on  her  increase  of  family,  and  I 
cannot  say  I  miss  her  voice,"  said  Violet.  "  And  how  are 
you  ?  Really  not  well,  or  was  that  only  a  pretext  to 
frighten  me  into  obeying  your  whim  ?" 

"  A  happy  mingling  of  truth  and  falsehood,  my  dear,  as 
a  woman's  assertions  ought  to  be,"  replied  the  marchesa. 
"I  have  had  neuralgia,  and  I  meant  to  be  ill  if  you  refused. 
But  come  in  !  We  have  some  people  to  dine — Carlo 
invited  them,"  she  continued,  as  she  led  her  friend  into  the 
stately  old  entrance-hall ;  "  you'll  not  mind,  however,  as 
they  are  all  men." 

"  How  often  must  I  tell  you  not  to  disgrace  yourself  by 
repeating  such  cant  phrases  !"  cried  Violet.  "  I  like  femi- 
nine society,  and  so  do  you  ;  the  fashion  women  have  of 
declaring  it  a  bore  is  disgusting  !  I  hate  their  novels  for 
that  very  reason.  They  seem  to  think  they  show  the  supe- 
riority of  their  heroines  by  making  them  detest  every 
other  woman — moan  over  the  English  after-dinner  hour — 
say  and  do  everything  to  afford  men  a  right  to  despise  tjhe 
sex  from  its  own  confessions." 

"  I  stand  convicted — you  are  right.  I'll  never  hint 
such  a  thing  again,  even  if  I  think  it ;  at  least,  not  to 
you,"  returned  Nina.  "  Ah,  here  is  a  listener  who  I  am 
certain  approves  every  word  you  have  uttered  with  such 
overwhelming  energy." 

The  hall  widened  in  the  center  to  a  vast  room  where 
couches  and  chairs  were  placed,  statues  lived  in  the  niches, 
and  pictures  decorated  the  walls — a  favorite  haunt  of  the 
household.  They  had  reached  the  arch  as  Nina  spoke. 
Violet  look  up  ;  the  broad  space  was  lighted  by  several 
concealed  lamps  ;  in  the  soft  mysterious  radiance  she  saw 
Laurence  Aylmer  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  marble  stair- 
case which  he  had  just  descended.  He  came  quickly  for- 
ward, face  and  eyes  aglow  with  pleasure. 


MI-CAREME.  103 

•'I  am  so  very  glad  to  see  you  !"  he  exclaimed.  "I 
went  to  your  house  as  soon  as  I  reached  town,  but  you 
were  out — Miss  Bronson  out  too  !  I  was  quite  in  despair, 
since  I  could  not  call  twice  in  the  same  day.  Luckily  I 
met  Magnoletti,  and  he  invited  me  to  come  home  with 
him,  promising  me  the  pleasure  of  finding  you  here." 

"  Makes  no  account  whatever  of  his  hostess,"  cried 
Nina.  "  Oh,  wretched  young  man  !  I  would  never  for- 
give you,  only  you  have  come  back  looking  so  well 
that  one  must  pardon  you  anything — is  it  not  so,  Violet?" 

"  He  certainly  seems  quite  recovered,"  Violet  an- 
swered, giving  him  her  hand  and  a  cordial  smile. 

He  had  appeared  so  unexpectedly  that  she  felt  startled 
— of  course,  only  on  that  account — she  had  leisure  to 
assure  herself  of  this  even  while  she  went  on  to  express 
her  gratification  at  the  evident  benefit  he  had  derived 
from  the  sea-air. 

"  Did  you  hear  her  diatribe  ?"  Nina  presently  de- 
manded. 

"  Yes,  and  agreed  thoroughly  with  it,"  he  said.  "  I 
never  could  comprehend  that  lack  of  esprit  de  corps 
whicli  women  show.  If  they  hold  each  other  cheap,  they 
cannot  blame  men  for  holding  them  all  so." 

"  That  is  unbearable  !  I  am  obliged  to  endure  Miss 
Cameron's  abuse,  but  I  will  not  yours.  Where  are  Carlo 
and  those  familiars  of  his?" 

"  They  went  into  the  billiard  room." 

"  Could  not  exactly  venture  to  sit  down  to  baccarat 
before  dinner,  so  must  console  themselves  with  a  milder 
sort  of  gaming  ;  and  without  even  waiting  to  pay  me  their 
respects  !  Upon  my  word,  I  believe  Gherardi  and  Pisano 
take  this  house  for  an  hotel,  and  the  rest  are  as  bad." 

"  You  were  not  here  to  receive  them  :  the  marchese 
made  your  excuses — said  you  were  probably  dressing,  and 
proposed  the  billiard-room  by  way  of  consolation  for  your 
absence,"  Aylmer  replied. 

"  Of  course  you  will  defend  them  !  I  notice  men 
always  stand  by  each  other  in  an  odious  fashion." 

"  In  order  to  set  a  lofty  example,  and  cure  women  of 
that  great  error  Miss  Cameron  so  justly  condemned." 

"  Nonsense  !  You  do  it  because  you  are  all  so  horribly 
wicked  you  are  obliged  to  hang  together  like  brigands," 
retorted  she.  "  There  is  no  hurry  about  going  up  stairs, 


104  MI-CAREME. 

Violet ;  it  is  not  much  after  seven.  I  don't  mean  to  dine 
until  half-past  eight  ;  I  shall  keep  those  monsters  from  the 
card-table  as  long  as  possible." 

"  Now  I  wonder — I  do  wonder  what  her  real  reason  may 
be  !"  said  Aylmer.  "  Can  you  imagine,  Miss  Cameron  ?" 

"  I  shall  watch  to  find  out ;  she  is  certain  to  betray  her- 
self before  the  evening  is  over,"  Violet  answered. 

"  And  she  talks  about  the  necessity  of  women's  keep- 
ing faith  among  themselves  !"  cried  Nina.  "  My  dear,  as 
a  reward  for  having  shown  that  you  are  no  better  than  your 
sisters,  I'll  tell  you  !  My  delightful  gallant  countryman, 
Prince  Sabakine,  is  coming.  He  was  obliged  to  go  as  far  as 
Milan  with  the  Grand  Duchess — could  not  reach  Florence 
before  now — must  take  a  special  train  in  order  to  do  that 
— there  is  devotion  for  you  !  Well,  then,  time  to  dress — 
forty  minutes  to  drive  out  here,  even  with  his  horses  ;  so 
you  see,  I  had  to  say  half-past  eight !  Now,  admire  my 
frankness." 

"  Since  you  only  confess  your  iniquity  because  you  knew 
we  should  discover  it,"  said  Violet. 

"I  shall  go  off  to  the  billiard-room,"  vowed  Nina. 
"  You  are  both  too  malicious  for  endurance,  so  I  may  as 
•well  recollect  that  I  ought  to  show  a  little  courtesy  to 
Carlo's  evil  spirits." 

She  ran  gayly  away.  Violet  sat  down  upon  a  couch 
just  inside  the  arch,  annoyed  with  herself  for  a  ridiculous 
impulse  to  follow  her  friend.  Something  in  Aylmer's  eyes 
brought  a  remembrance  of  those  visits  the  professor  had 
forced  her  to  pay  his  patient.  To  recall  the  broken  reve- 
lations of  his  delirium  always  fluttered  her,  and  just  now 
the  sensation  vexed  her.  It  was  too  absurd  to  remember 
what  a  man  had  said  in  fever — as  if  he  knew  whom  he 
addressed  or  what  he  uttered  ! 

"  And  my  dear  old  Diogenes,  is  he  quite  well  ?"  she 
asked. 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  kind  as  ever,  and  as  resolute  to  be  considered 
a  Black  Forest  wolf,"  Aylmer  replied.  "lean  give  you 
no  idea  of  his  goodness  since  we  have  been  away.  But 
indeed  the  sympathy  I  have  received  in  quarters  where  I 
had  no  right  to  expect  it,  leaves  me  bankrupt  in  gratitude." 

"  We  agreed  not  to  talk  about '  that,"  Violet  said, 
"since  I  have  certain  debts  which  I  cannot  pay." 

"You    know  I  consider    it    the    greatest    favor    fate 


MI-  GAREME.  105 

ever  showed  me  that  I  was  permitted  to  be  of  use  to  you," 
he  exclaimed. 

His  voice  and  eyes  lent  this  speech  a  meaning  far  beyond 
compliment,  but  the  phrases  themselves  sounded  like  the 
exaggerated  flattery  any  man  might  have  felt  it  his  duty 
to  offer,  so  they  afforded  her  an  opportunity  to  retreat 
from  the  subject  with  a  jest,  though  it  hurt  her  to  jest 
upon  that  theme. 

Aylmer  at  once  followed  her  lead  in  the  direction  she 
gave  the  conversation,  perhaps  a  little  afraid  to  dwell  upon 
the  serious  side  of  the  adventure  which  had  carried  their 
intercourse  so  far  out  of  the  ordinary  track — afraid  lest  he 
might  utter  words  he  had  no  right  to  speak.  Such  liberty 
would  be  worse  than  ungenerous,  since  the  peculiar  footing 
on  which  they  had  been  placed  by  his  accident  and  its  con- 
sequences would  render  it  difficult  for  her  to  check  his  pre- 
sumption as  easily  and  decidedly  as  she  might  have  done  in 
the  case  of  another  who  committed  the  blunder,  after  so 
brief  an  acquaintance,  of  betraying  a  secret  which  his  heart 
or  fancy  had  garnered.  So  they  talked  of  any  trifle  which 
either  could  snatch  at,  gayly,  carelessly,  as  befitted  the  mo- 
ment, yet  there  was  a  subtle  difference  which  rendered  the 
conversation  unlike  an  ordinary  tete-d-tete — a  difference  per- 
ceptible to  the  woman  as  to  the  man,  though  she  would  not 
allow  her  soul  to  admit  the  fact,  while  he  gloried  therein. 

Miss  Cameron  began  admiring  a  stand  of  plants  near 
the  sofa  ;  he  selected  some  graceful  drooping  blossoms,  and 
wound  a  few  green  sprays  about  them. 

"  There  is  nothing  so  pretty  in  the  hair  as  these  little 
fern  leaves,"  he  said,  as  he  handed  her  the  bouquet,  and  his 
eyes  asked  her  to  wear  his  gift. 

"  Unfortunately,  neither  the  blue-bells  or  the  ferns  suit 
the  color  of  my  dress.  One  can't  venture  to  be  inartistic 
in  these  days,"  she  answered  ;  and  then  recollected  that  she 
had  replied  to  his  glance  rather  than  his  words. 

"  You  ought  never  to  wear  anything  but  white,"  he  ex- 
claimed, quickly.  "I  always  think  of  you  as  you  looked 
the  night  I  met  you(  here.  You  were  in  white,  too,  the 
first  evening  you  came  into  my  prison " 

He  paused,  conscious  that  a  word  more  might  take  him 
back  to  unsafe  ground,  then  added,  with  a  laugh  too  trem- 
ulous to  perform  its  duty  well  :  "I  was  so  much  indulged 
by  you  all  during  my  illness  that  I  forget  I  have  lost  the 

5* 


106  MI-CAREME. 

privilege  of  being  autocratic  in  ray  opinions.  I  still  occa- 
sionally find  myself  scolding  the  professor,  and  before  I  had 
been  here  an  hour  the  raarchesa  had  to  remind  me  that  I 
was  no  longer  absolute." 

Nina  appeared  again  at  the  instant,  and  spared  Violet 
the  necessity  of  any  reply. 

"  I  am  going  up  stairs,"  she  said  ;  "  I  could  not  miss 
being  ready  for  my  model  Russian.  Come  and  see  how 
pretty  I  have  made  your  rooms,  Violetta  mia !  I  expect 
you  to  be  so  charmed  that  you  won't  have  the  heart  to  de- 
sert me,  or  them,  for  a  fortnight.  By  that  time  I  trust  the 
workmen  will  leave  Casa  Magnoletti  free,  unless  they  have 
some  special  reason  for  forcing  me  to  spend  my  life  in  the 
country." 

When  the  marchesa  had  left  Violet's  dressing-room, 
Clarice  said  to  her  mistress  : 

"  I  have  laid  out  that  new  green  costume  for  mademoi- 
selle." . 

"  I  shall  wear  white,"  returned  Miss  Cameron. 

"  Mademoiselle  has  lived  in  white  of  late — positively 
lived  in  it  !  People  will  think  she  has  only  one  dress  !" 
pleaded  Clarice,  in  despairing  accents.  "  And  the  green 
costume  is  a  perfect  picture — vert  tendre,  mademoiselle  !" 

Violet  was  putting  her  flowers  in  water.  She  dropped 
them  hastily  into  the  little  vase,  slightly  uncomfortable  as 
she  thought  why  she  had  dissented  from  the  maid's  choice. 

"  Vert  tendre  be  it,"  she  answered. 

"  And  mademoiselle  will  look  like  an  enchanted  prin- 
cess," cried  Clarice,  gratified,  as  humanity  always  is,  by 
having  her  own  way.  But  when  half  dressed,  Violet 
glanced  at  the  flowers.  Surely  she  need  not  be  ashamed  to 
do  so  little  a  thing  as  wear  a  particular  color  to  please  a 
man  who  had  saved  her  life.  The  absurdity  was  in  hesi- 
tating— as  if  there  were  any  reason  why  she  should  hesi- 
tate !  "  I  don't  like  the  green  ;  I  am  too  pale  this  evening. 
I  shall  wear  white,"  she  said,  with  decision." 

And  white  it  was.  Clarice  never  attempted  expostula- 
tions when  her  mistress  spoke  in  that  tone. 

Her  toilet  completed,  Violet  took  the  bouquet,  separa- 
ted it,  put  a  part  in  her  hair,  and  fastened  the  remainder  in 
her  corsage.  As  she  was  thus  occupied,  a  bloom  so  delicate 
yet  so  rich  stole  into  her  cheeks,  a  light  so  brilliant  yet  so 
soft  flooded  her  eyes,  that  when  she  turned  from  the  niir- 


MI-CAREME.  107 

ror,  Clarice,  with  a  magnanimity  few  mortals  would  have 
been  capable  of  displaying  after  such  recent  rejection  of 
their  advice,  cried  out  : 

"Mademoiselle  was  right  !     She  is  fairly  dazzling  !" 

"  You  are  a  prejudiced  little  goose,"  Violet  said,  laugh- 
ing. 

But  she  was  looking  her  loveliest,  and  she  knew  it. 
The  vivid  blue  flowers  over  the  white  brought  out  the  fair- 
ness of  her  neck,  which  the  square-cut  bodice  revealed  ; 
and  the  open  sleeves  showed  the  matchless  arms,  which 
were  the  admiration  of  every  sculptor  in  Italy. 

Aylmer  was  standing  near  the  door  as  she  entered  the 
drawing-room.  He  got  no  chance  to  speak,  for  the 
marchese  and  the  guests  who  had  not  yet  seen  her  came 
forward  to  claim  her  attention.  But  Violet  caught  one 
glance  from  those  dark  eyes,  so  eloquent  in  its  appreciation 
of  her  compliance  with  their  owner's  wish  that  she  had  an 
uneasy  sensation  of  having  done  wrong  in  obeying  his 
caprice. 

Then  Sabakine  was  sent  by  the  hostess  to  bring  Miss 
Cameron  to  the  sofa  where  she  was  seated,  and  altogether 
Aylmer  found  no  opportunity  to  address  a  word  to  her, 
and  he  betrayed  his  annoyance  so  plainly  to  the  marchesa's 
keen  eyes  that  she  took  occasion  to  say  in  his  ear  : 

"I  told  you  this  morning  that  after  Carnival  comes 
Lent." 

"  So  it  does,  and  one  submits  ;  but  it  is  a  shame  of  you 
to  forget  there  is  a  mi-careme"  he  replied,  with  a  readiness 
which  delighted  the  appreciative  Russian. 

"  You  are  very  near  it — trust  me,"  she  said. 

When  they  entered  the  dining-room  he  discovered  what 
she  meant.  Of  course,  Miss  Cameron  fell  to  the  host,  but 
Aylmer's  seat  was  at  her  other  hand.  Nina,  occupied  by 
something  Sabakine  was  narrating,  found  time  to  dart  a 
quick  glance  towards  Aylmer,  and  gave  him  an  infinitesi- 
mal nod,  which  said  distinctly  : 

"  Mi-careme  at  last,  you  see  !" 

And  if  he  had  been  her  adorer  instead  of  her  friend, 
she  could  not  have  received  a  look  of  more  fervent 
gratitude. 


108  SET    BIGHT. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

SET    EIGHT. 

0  the  dinner  proved  delightful  to  the  young  man  ; 
one  of  those  banquets  of  the  gods  whereof 
each  of  us  has  partaken  in  turn. 

In  the  drawing-room  afterwards  everything 
went  well  for  a  time.  Under  a  pretense  of 
wanting  to  smoke,  Carlo  and  his  friends  strayed  into  a  dis- 
tant salon  ;  Sabakine  and  Aylmer  remained  with  the  ladies, 
and  a  partie  carree  is  by  no  means  unpleasant  to  a  man 
when  he  has  not  reached  a  stage  where  he  is  at  liberty  to 
utter  his  thoughts  freely  to  the  object  of  his  fancy. 

But  presently  into  the  quiet  came  the  sound  of  carriage 
wheels,  and  directly  there  appeared  a  knot  of  people  suf- 
ficiently intimate  with  the  marchesa  to  come  uninvited  for 
the  purpose  of  enlivening  her  seclusion. 

Foremost  among  the  group  entered  Giulia  da  Rimini, 
stately  and  Cleopatra-like  as  usual,  on  her  lips  that  indolent 
half-smile,  and  in  her  heavy-lidded  black  eyes  that  inscruta- 
ble expression  which  Nina  so  cordially  hated.  The  duchess 
took  the  explanation  upon  herself,  making  her  voice  dis- 
tinctly audible  through  the  comments  and  laughter  of  her 
companions,  low  and  unemphatically  as  she  spoke  : 

"  We  were  all  at  the  opera  ;  it  was  worse  than  usual. 
Then  nobody  had  a  reception — nobody  had  offered  a  sup- 
per, so  I  proposed  that  we  should  drive  out  by  moonlight 
and  see  you,  Nina  darling." 

"  You  are  always  having  happy  inspirations,  dear 
Giulia,"  returned  the  marchesa,  with  her  sweetest  smile. 

"  Who  would  venture  on  a  supper,  duchess  ?"  exclaimed 
Sabakine.  "  You  have  rendered  that  impossible  by  your 
brilliant  success.  I  shall  never  pardon  you  for  having  given 
it  while  I  was  away." 

Nina  was  in  ecstacies — so  was  everybody  else — but  the 
duchess  proved  equal  to  the  occasion. 

"I  am  ashamed  now,  pripce,  to  recollect  that  our  friends 
made  themselves  so  charming,  I  had  no  opportunity  to  miss 
you,"  said  she,  and  passed  ou  to  greet  Violet.  "  My  dear 


SET    RIGHT.  109 

Miss  Cameron,  what  an  unexpected  pleasure  !  Why,  Mr. 
Aylmer,  is  this  you  or  your  double  ?  I  thought  you  safe  at 
the  sea-side,  in  the  hands  of  your  doctor." 

"Heavens  !"  muttered  Nina.  "If  she  could  only  teach 
people  to  tell  falsehoods  with  such  grace,  she  might  earn  a 
fortune." 

"  She  makes  a  very  fair  living  at  cards  as  it  is,"  returned 
Sabakine ;  "  don't  suggest  the  idea,  or  between  the  two 
professions  she  will  ruin  us  all." 

Nina's  implied  belief  that  the  duchess  had  known  whom 
she  should  meet  was  perfectly  correct,  and  her  proposal  to 
her  friends  to  drive  out  to  the  villa  had  been  caused  by  that 
knowledge. 

Carlo  had  so  far  proved  obdurate  to  every  attempt  to 
lure  him  back  to  his  allegiance.  If  she  changed  her  tactics, 
showed  a  willingness  to  let  him  go  and  give  Aylmer  the 
benefit  of  her  smiles,  the  marchese  might  be  roused  to  dis- 
pute the  post  of  honor  by  her  side,  and  she  could  then 
assert  that  her  conduct  had  been  inspired  by  a  wish  to  pun- 
ish his  lack  of  faith  in  her  explanation  of  that  unlucky  visit 
to  his  friend's  sick-room. 

Society  might  say  what  it  liked  about  her  ;  so  long  as 
she  did  not  violate  certain  conventionalities,  Florence  could 
not  turn  the  cold  shoulder — her  position  and  family  influ- 
ence would  prevent  that ;  and  if  she  avoided  such  penalty 
she  cared  little  whether  people  called  her  a  high-born 
swindler  or  names  which  designated  vices  more  especially 
feminine. 

So  to-night  she  affected  a  certain  air  of  familiarity  with 
Aylmer,  still  preserving  her  majestic  indolence.  She  forced 
him  to  attend  exclusively  to  her,  and  covertly  watched  Miss 
Cameron,  in  the  hope  that  lady's  self-control  would  not 
be  perfect  enough  to  repress  some  sign  of  trouble  or  annoy- 
ance, in  case  Aylmer  had  gained  any  special  hold  upon  her 
thoughts  during  the  past  weeks. 

But  Miss  Cameron,  engrossed  by  half  a  dozen  men, 
apparently  found  no  leisure  to  notice  the  duchess  and  her 
companion.  That  Aylmer  had  a  strong  fancy  for  his  beau- 
tiful countrywoman,  the  signora  was  able  to  decide  to  her 
own  complete  dissatisfaction.  He  could  not  keep  his  eyes 
off  Violet  ;  he  started  each  time  the  duchess's  voice  recalled 
him  to  a  sense  of  his  duty,  and  once  was  positively  guilty 
of  the  enormity  of  asking  what  she  had  said,  and,  to  add  to 


110  SET    RIGHT. 

the  crime,  apologized  for  his  absent-mindedness.  These 
things  nettled  the  lady  ;  still  they  acted  as  provocatives, 
and  rendered  her  more  determined  and  eager  than  ever  to 
dazzle  the  man  and  bring  him  to  her  feet. 

"  Where  is  the  marchese  ?"  she  inquired. 

"  In  the  card-room,"  Aylmer  replied. 

"  Of  course  !  I  need  not  have  asked  !  I  want  to  look 
on  at  the  game — you  know  cards  have  a  fascination  for 
me." 

He  rose  with  alacrity,  hoping  that,  once  within  sight 
of  the  table,  her  arch-passion  would  assert  its  supremacy 
and  cause  her  to  join  the  gamblers. 

"  Mr.  Aylmer  and  I  are  going  to  see  them  play  bacca- 
rat," Giulia  said  to  Madame  Magnoletti. 

Nina  had  no  objection.  While  courting  the  goddess 
Chance,  Venus  herself  might  stand  close  to  Carlo,  and  he 
would  offer  no  homage  beyond  an  indifferent  bow  and 
smile  ;  besides,  the  marchesa  never  wavered  in  her  con- 
viction, founded  on  a  thorough  knowledge  of  her  husband's 
character,  that  the  capricious  creature  had  escaped  forever 
from  the  Sicilian's  thraldom. 

When  Carlo  looked  up  and  saw  the  duchess  beside  his 
chair,  he  made  a  little  grimace  under  his  long  mustache 
very  like  one  of  Nina's  childish  moues.  Giulia  was  leaning 
on  Aylmer's  arm,  apparently  absorbed  in  his  conversation 
even  while  she  tapped  her  host's  shoulder  with  her  fan  by 
way  of  salutation.  Carlo's  Italian  astuteness  fathomed  the 
signora's  wiles  as  quickly  as  if  he  had  been  a  woman,  and 
his  eyes  brightened  with  sudden  amusement  when  he 
glanced  towards  her  companion. 

"  Is  fortune  favorable?"  she  asked.  "How  very  cross 
Gherardi  looks  !" 

"Because  you  stopped  beside  Carlo's  chair  instead  of 
mine,  dttckessa  mia,"  said  that  gentleman. 

"  Has  Carlo  lost  his  tongue  ?"  she  continued,  employing 
the  marchese's  Christian  name  with  the  familiarity  so 
common  in  Italy,  and  so  shocking  to  dignified  Anglo- 
Saxons. 

"I  was  only  trying  to  find  some  suitable  phrase  of 
welcome.  You  know  I  am  a  slow  creature,"  he  answered. 
"  Useless,  I  suppose,  to  ask  you  to  join  us  ?" 

"Later,  perhaps,"  she  said,  smiling  at  the  manner  in 
which  the  question  was  put.  She  fancied  his  tone 


SET    EIGHT.  Ill 

betrayed  pique,  and  flattered  herself  that  her  new  lino 
of  conduct  would  speedily  bring  him  out  of  his  pretended 
indifference. 

The  other  players  offered  each  some  remark,  then  the 
duchess  passed  on. 

"  You  do  not  mean  to  play  ?"  Aylmer  asked,  finding  it 
difficult  to  repress  his  disappointment  within  decent  limits. 

Indeed,  his  state  of  mind  was  perfectly  evident  to  the 
niarchesa  when  she  met  them  in  the  conservatory,  where 
she  had  gone  to  show  Sabakine  and  several  other  people 
some  marvelous  plant  her  brother  had  sent  from  America, 
and  the  mischievous  lady  derived  great  amusement  from 
his  sufferings,  as  she  adroitly  allowed  him  to  perceive. 

The  duchess  believed  that  he  had  determined,  if  possible, 
to  resist  her  spells.  In  her  present  frame  of  mind  this 
credence,  instead  of  rousing  her  fierce  temper,  rendered 
her  more  bent  on  conquering  him — that  he  strove  against  it 
was  a  proof  he  comprehended  his  danger.  Did  he  want 
Violet  Cameron's  money  ?  Well,  perhaps  later  she  would 
help  him  win  it,  but  just  now  the  heiress  should  not  stand 
in  the  way,  either  from  the  inducements  her  fortune  offered 
or  any  caprice  Aylmer  might  have  for  the  lady  herself. 

Altogether,  nearly  an  hour  elapsed  before  the  wretched 
man  could  escape.  The  duchess  recollected  that  she  must 
not  let  Carlo's  pique  attain  too  keen  an  edge,  else  it  would 
not  serve  the  purpose  for  which  she  meant  to  employ  it. 
Aylmer  deposited  her  at  the  card-table  with  the  ungrateful 
reflection  that  he  knew  exactly  how  Sinbad  felt  when  begot 
rid  of  the  Old  Man  of  the  Sea,  and  hastened  away. 

Madame  da  Rimini  was  not  sorry  to  see  him  go.  She 
knew  that  when  she  wished  to  fascinate,  she  never  ought  to 
play  cards  in  the  presence  of  her  victim.  In  ten  minutes 
she  had  forgotten  Aylmer — everything — in  the  interest  of 
the  game.  Her  eyes  blazed  with  a  cold,  keen  flame  like  that 
on  Damascus  steel  ;  her  mouth  set  so  hard  that  the  lips  were 
a  mere  scarlet  thread  ;  two  deep  lines  disfigured  her  fore- 
head ;  her  fingers  shut  with  claw-like  tenacity  :  her  atti- 
tude so  fixed  and  rigid  that  the  cords  stood  out  on  her  neck, 
and  marred  her  chief  beauty,  till  she  seemed  suddenly  to 
have  grown  years  older. 

Nina   and  Sabakine  stopped   to  exchange  observations 
concerning  her  as  they  strolled  through  the  room. 
"She  is  actually  unrecognizable,"  Nina  said. 


113  SET  BRIGHT. 

"One  sees  the  real  woman,"  he  replied:  "  a  horrible 
caricature  of  what  she  manages  to  appear  under  ordinary 
circumstances." 

"She  is  a  dreadful  creature  !"  ejaculated  Nina. 

"  Well,  yes.  If  she  had  not  had  the  good  luck  to  be 
born  grande  dame,  she  would  undoubtedly  have  found  her 
way  to  the  galleys  before  now.  Thanks  to  her  being  Maz- 
zolini's  daughter  and  wearing  Rimini's  title,  she  will  prob- 
ably manage  to  die  decently  in  her  bed,"  said  Sabakine, 
with  that  entire  freedom  of  speech  concerning  acquaintan- 
ces which  is  so  marked  a  characteristic  of  Florentine  society. 

"  Where  is  the  duke  now  ?" 

"  In  Paris,  as  usual.  They  divide  France  and  Italy  be- 
tween them,  and  manage  to  keep  the  best  friends  in  the 
world.  '  Unefemme  forte'  he  said  to  me  last  spring,  in 
speaking  of  her  ;  '  but  she  gives  me  an  abnormal  taste  for 
human  blood — an  unfortunate  mania  on  my  part,  as  it  pre- 
vents my  enjoying  her  society.'" 

"  He  is  worse  than  she  !" 

"  Hum  !  I  could  not  say  that.  He  as  nearly  approaches 
her  gifts  as  a  man  can.  But  he  is  wise  to  remain  in  Paris. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  on  the  last  visit  he  paid  the  house 
of  his  ancestors  she  set  fire  to  his  bed-curtains  when  he  was 
asleep,  and  locked  him  in  his  room." 

"  I  never  did  quite  believe  that  story." 

"He  told  me  himself  as  a  good  joke;  it  would  have 
been  a  better  one  if  he  had  burned  to  death,  as  he  came 
near  doing." 

Aylmer  found  Miss  Cameron  in  the  drawing-room,  but 
she  was  so  constantly  surrounded  that  he  could  not  get 
within  reach  ;  and  he  wandered  about  in  a  restless  fashion, 
hoping  that  at  least  after  the  guests'  departure  he  might 
have  her  for  a  few  minutes  to  himself  ;  but  when  he  came 
back  from  seeing  some  lady  to  her  carriage,  Violet  had  dis- 
appeared. 

"  Miss  Cameron  has  gone  to  bed,  like  a  sensible  woman," 
said  Nina,  "  and  I  shall  follow  her  example — I  am  tired  to 
death.  My  Russian  bored  me,  Carlo  has  been  losing  money, 
and  you  have  neglected  me  shamefully,  Mr.  Aylmer.  The 
world  is  dust  and  ashes,  and  I  shall  go  to  sleep.  Good- 
night." 

After  she  had  gone,  Carlo,  who  prided  himself  on  con- 
ducting his  household  according  to  English  principles  in 


SET    RIGHT.  113 

many  ways,  asked  Aylmer  to  have  some  sort  of  liquid  re- 
freshment and  a  cheroot — oblivious  that  his  Anglo-mania 
failed  in  the  present  instance,  as  he  was  drinking  orgeat 
and  seltzer  instead  of  brandy  and  soda,  and  his  smoking- 
room,  as  usual,  the  place  where  he  chanced  to  be  when  in  a 
mood  for  a  cigarette. 

But  Aylmer  declined  these  mild  Italian  attempts  at  dis- 
sipation, and  went  off  to  his  chamber,  feeling  that  the 
evening,  which  began  so  charmingly,  had  ended  in  a  very 
dismal  fashion. 

The  next  morning  the  professor  came  out  to  see  his  late 
patient,  and  amused  them  all  by  his  account  of  an  inter- 
view with  Miss  Bronson.  He  had  gone  to  the  house,  un- 
aware of  Miss  Cameron's  absence,  and  found  Eliza  in  a  very 
elevated  mood,  from  the  effects  of  an  aesthetic  tea  given  by 
some  old  maid  on  the  previous  evening. 

She  delivered  a  long  lecture  upon  his  heterodoxy,  warn- 
ing him  of  the  evil  repute  it  would  bring  in  this  world  and 
the  Dives-like  destiny  it  must  inevitably  procure  in  the 
next.  He  drove  her  nearly  frantic  by  declaring  that  the 
book  he  had  so  often  proposed  to  dedicate  to  her  was  ready 
for  the  press,  and  improvised  an  inscription  which  asserted 
that  her  sympathy  with  his  peculiar  views  had  been  his 
sweetest  solace  during  the  long  hours  devoted  to  the  prep- 
aration of  the  volume. 

"  I  left  her  in  tears,"  said  the  professor,  with  grim  de- 
light;  "and  I  affected  to  think  it  was  the  proof  of  my 
esteem  which  touched  her.  The  more  she  tried  to  explain 
and  to  reject  my  friendship  and  my  heresies,  the  duller  and 
deafer  I  grew.  At  the  hour  it  is,  I  am  certain  she  has  as- 
sembled a  conclave  of  all  the  spinsters  among  her  acquaint- 
ance, and  is  searching  for  some  means  to  avert  the  awful 
fate  which  hangs  over  her." 

Aylraer  was  haunted  by  a  fear  that  he  had  fallen  in 
Miss  Cameron's  esteem.  He  could  not  say  that  her  manner 
had  changed — she  talked  freely  and  pleasantly  ;  but,  in 
spite  of  his  efforts  to  believe  himself  mistaken,  the  impres- 
sion remained  in  his  mind  that  a  certain  distance  had  come 
between  them — as  if  he  suddenly  stood  on  the  footing  of  a 
mere  acquaintance,  instead  of  enjoying  the  fi'iendly  rela- 
tions which  had  grown  up  during  his  convalescence. 

But  in  what  way  could  he  exculpate  himself  ?  He  in- 
wardly rebelled,  as  circumstances  often  force  a  man  to  do, 


114  SET    RIGHT. 

against  sundry  injustices  in  the  social  code  which  give 
women  like  the  duchess  an  opportunity  to  place  him  in  a 
very  unpleasant  position  without  the  privilege  of  defense — 
a  position  where  silence  is  self-condemnation,  yet  to  open 
his  lips  must  make  him  appear  a  conceited  idiot. 

The  marchese  and  Aylmer  were  in  the  billiard-room 
before  dinner.  Aylmer  was  saying  that  he  must  drive  into 
town  to  inquire  concerning  some  letters  which  had  failed 
to  arrive. 

"  Keep  out  of  the  duchess's  way,"  said  Carlo,  who  was 
almost  as  much  given  to  teasing  as  the  professor  himself. 
"If  she  gets  those  pretty  tiger-claws  of  hers  on  you,  my 
friend,  you  will  not  be  allowed  to  come  back  to  us." 

"Confound  the  duchess!"  returned  Aylmer.  "Never 
— never — in  any  country  did  I  meet  a  woman  so  odious  ! 
I  used  to  wonder  how  you  could  dance  attendance  upon 
her,  but  I  see  you  have  recovered  from  your  folly." 

"  Come,  come,  that  is  turning  the  tables  on  poor  me 
with  a  vengeance,  just  because  I  gave  you  a  friendly  coun- 
sel out  of  the  goodness  of  my  heart !" 

"  Your  goodness  of  heart  be — blessed  !"  said  Aylmer. 

"  I  saw  how  she  was  worrying  you  last  night,"  con- 
tinued Carlo,  laughing.  "  I  would  have  gone  to  your  res- 
cue, only  I  was  busy.  If  you  wouldn't  make  it  so  plain 
that  you  are  blind  to  her  fascinations,  la  belle  Giulia  would 
ten  to  one  let  you  alone." 

Before  Aylmer  could  reply,  Miss  Cameron  came  in  from 
the  conservatory. 

"  Marchese,"  said  she,  "  Nina  says  you  purloined  the 
little  microscope  the  professor  gave  me  yesterday.  Posi- 
tively, you  are  as  bad  as  a  magpie  for  hiding  everything 
you  can  pick  up  in  your  pockets." 

"Friend  of  my  soul,  magpies  don't  wear  pockets.  It  is 
odd  that  though  the  feminine  mind  conceives  comparisons 
in  profusion,  they  are  always  incorrect,"  cried  Carlo. 

"Less  incorrect  than  your  habit  of  petty  larceny — it 
quite  amounts  to — to — what. is  that  long  word,  Mr.  Aylmer, 
which  it  is  proper  to  use  when  a  marquis  steals,  instead  of 
a  poor  common  wretch  who  must  go  to  prison  therefor?" 

"  Kleptomania,  do  you  mean  V" 

"Exactly!  Take  care,  Carlo,  or  it  will  lead  you  to  a 
lunatic  asylum  !  Do  you  intend  to  give  me  iny  microscope  ? 
We  want  to  examine  some  leaves." 


SET    RIGHT.  115 

"  What  a  persistent  creature  !  I  have  lost  it — I  never 
had  it — I  gave  it  back  to  you,"  said  Carlo,  hunting  in  the 
multifarious  recesses  of  his  coat,  which  he  fondly  believed  a 
thoroughly  English  garment,  and  finally  pulling  out  the 
desired  article. 

"  Here  it  is,  after  all ;  I  must  have  picked  it  up  by 
accident." 

"  I  notice  that  your  sins  are  always  committed  by  acci- 
dent," returned  Violet,  "  and  I  never  knew  a  man  who  met 
with  so  many  misfortunes." 

"  All  the  same,  I  suppose  Aylmer  and  I  may  go  and  look 
at  the  leaves  ;  he  is  an  ignorant  young  person,  and  needs  to 
improve  his  mind  in  various  ways." 

"  I  certainly  chose  ill  when  I  selected  your  society  for 
that  purpose,  my  dear  Carlo,"  rejoined  Laurence. 

"  You  will  have  to  adopt  his  pet  excuse — the  victim  of 
accident,  Mr.  Aylmer,"  said  Violet. 

She  spoke  carelessly  ;  she  smiled  with  even  more  indif- 
ference, yet  Laurence's  heart  bounded  ;  he  knew  that  his 
peace  was  made — the  distance  had  been  bridged  over — the 
ice  which  had  spread  between  them,  chilling  him  to  the 
soul,  imperceptible  as  it  was,  had  melted  suddenly — he  was 
back  in  June  warmth  again. 

She  had  heard  the  marchese's  words  —  fortune  had 
favored  him  indeed.  He  could  have  hugged  the  uncon- 
scious bringer-about  of  this  present  state  of  affairs. 

"  After  all,  one  can't  help  liking  him  in  spite  of  his 
errors  !"  said  Laurence,  clapping  Carlo  on  the  shoulder  by 
way  of  giving  a  little  relief  to  his  feelings. 

"  Praise  is  sweet,  but  it  may  be  too  forcibly  expressed," 
said  the  marchese,  pretending  to  groan. 

"  May  we  go  and  have  a  peep  through  the  microscope, 
Miss  Cameron  !"  Aylmer  -inquired.  A  few  minutes  before 
he  would  have  felt  as  if  taking  a  liberty  in  asking  anything 
of  her,  but  his  courage  was  entirely  restored. 

"  Violet  Cameron  !"  Nina  called  from  the  terrace  upon 
which  the  windows  of  the  billiard-room  opened.  "  If  you 
think  to  leave  me  to  study  botany  alone,  while  you  mono- 
polize the  only  two  men  available,  you  do  not  know  the 
woman  with  whom  you  have  to  deal  !  I  am  amiable  and  I 
am  self-sacrificing,  but  there  are  limits,  I  warn  you  !" 

"  She  might  at  least  have  sent  you  the  microscope,"  said 
Carlo,  "  if  she  had  any  conscience." 


1 16  THREE- AND-  THIRTY. 

"  The  most  powerful  microscope  ever  invented  would 
fail  to  discover  any  such  treasure  in  your  anatomy,"  re- 
torted Nina. 

"  What  did  I  say  about  women's  inability  to  make  com- 
parisons ?"  cried  Carlo,  triumphantly.  "  Angel  of  the  house, 
conscience  is  not  a  treasure — learn  that  before  you  turn  on 
your  husband  when  he  generously  comes  to  your  assist- 
ance." 

"  And  a.  statement  is  not  a  comparison,  Master  Carlo," 
said  Violet ;  "  learn  that." 

"  Oh,  good  heavens  !  These  displays  of  rhetoric  all 
come  from  the  professor's  leaving  that  horrid  microscope  ; 
pray  break  it,  Mr.  Aylmer,  or  there  will  be  no  living  with 
the  pair,"  cried  Nina. 

The  three  joined  her  on  the  terrace  and  laughed  and 
talked  nonsense  and  were  very  happy,  while  the  day 
drew  to  its  close  and  the  western  sky  waxed  glorious  as  if 
the  farthest  heavens  had  suddenly  opened  Woods  and 
fields  glowed  with  amber  radiance — the  very  highway 
became  a  band  of  dazzling  light — the  river  a  halo.  In  the 
distance  appeared  beautiful  Florence,  a  sweep  of  burnished 
roofs  and  glittering  walls — Giotto's  tower  and  the  vast 
dome  of  the  cathedral  rising  in  the  midst,  while  on  the 
height  above,  San  Miniato's  church  seemed  floating  in  space  ; 
every  object  glorified,  transfigured,  by  the  supernal  light. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THREE-AND-THIRTY. 

HE  four  spent  many  such  idle,  pleasant  hours, 
and  time  fled  with  the  rapidity  it  displays  when 
life  has  reached,  as  it  does  occasionally,  a  season 
where  no  important  event  occurs  to  mark  its 
course,  though  each  day  is  so  full  of  tranquil 
enjoyment  that  our  usually  restless  souls  forget  to  look  back 
or  forward. 

Their  intimacy  with  Nina  and  Carlo  insensibly  drew 
Violet  and  Laurence  Aylmer  into  an  intimacy  almost  as 


THREE-AND-THIRTY.  117 

complete,  affording  them  an  opportunity  to  become  more 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  each  other's  real  characters 
than  months  of  ordinary  intercourse  could  have  done. 

On  the  eighth  day  Lady  Harcourt  drove  out  to  the  villa, 
and  insisted  upon  taking  Carlo  home  with  her  to  dine  and 
meet  some  friends  whom  she  had  invited. 

"  I  must  have  an  even  number,"  she  said,  "and  of  course 
Nina  and  Violet  can  more  easily  spare  the  mated  masculine 
bird  than  the  one  with  undipped  wings." 

At  table  the  marchesa  was  seized  with  a  nervous  head- 
ache, and  obliged  to  go  to  her  room. 

"  As  you  both  belong  to  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  I  need 
not  offer  any  absurd  excuses,  or  carry  Miss  Cameron  off," 
she  said.  "  I  will  lie  down  awhile  ;  then  I  shall  be  ready 
for  some  tea  and  your  united  fascinations.  Make  yourself 
agreeable,  Mr.  Aylmer,  and  remember  I  give  you  permis- 
sion to  smoke — Violet  doesn't  mind  in  the  least,  sensible 
creature  that  she  is.  You  shall  have  your  coffee  on  the 
terrace.  It  is  a  shame  to  stop  in-doors  such  a  lovely  night. 
And  now  I  will  retire,  while  I  can  do  so  with  grace  and 
elegance." 

So  the  two  guests  were  left  to  entertain  each  other. 

"  We  were  told  not  to  stop  in  the  house,"  Violet  said, 
walking  towards  an  open  window.  "  Obedience  and  incli- 
nation can  be  united  for  once.  What  a  marvelous  evening  !" 

Aylmer  followed  her  out  upon  the  terrace,  and  they  sat 
down.  The  old  major-domo  came  with  the  coffee-tray,  and 
placed  it  on  a  tiny  table  between  them.  He  brought  also 
a  wrap  for  Miss  Cameron,  saying  : 

"  Pardon,  signorina  :  but  one  gets  a  chill  so  easily." 

"  Hardly  in  this  weather,  Pietro  ;  it  is  like  summer," 
she  said,  amused  at  his  addressing  her  by  that  girlish  title. 

"  And  not  weather  to  be  trusted,  because  it  is  unseason- 
able," persisted  Pietro. 

"  Certainly  this  is  the  realization  of  one's  dreams  about 
an  Italian  autumn,"  Aylmer  said,  as  he  put  the  shawl  over 
Violet's  shoulders. 

"  Yes,  and  you  are  very  fortunate,  since  it  is  your  first 
experience.  As  a  rule,  the  nights  at  this  season  are  almost 
as  sharp  here  in  Tuscany  as  in  our  own  middle  States." 

They  sippe-1  their  coffee  and  conversed  in  a  desultory 
fashion  upon  any  and  every  subject  that  chanced  to  float 
up — of  their  friends,  Carlo  and  Nina,  people  in  Florence, 


118  THREE- AND- THIRTY. 

some  new  books,  the  lovely  effect  of  the  moon  on  the  hills, 
the  tints  a  painter  would  require  to  express  the  shadows 
the  cypresses  cast — shadows  which  looked  black,  but  were 
not,  one  discovered,  after  studying  them. 

Gradually  the  conversation  grew  more  earnest,  as  talk 
about  books  brought  forth  individual  opinions  ;  and  sitting 
there  in  the  moonlight,  Violet  Cameron's  loveliness  height- 
ened tenfold,  and  wrought  its  natural  effect  upon  the  man 
beside  her. 

A  brief  silence  ensued  ;  something  Aylmer  said  set 
Violet  dreaming,  and  he  did  not  recall  her  ;  but  when  she 
glanced  towards  him,  he  was  regarding  her  so  earnestly, 
with  such  involuntary  revealings  in  his  eyes,  that  she  felt 
the  color  deepen  in  her  cheek. 

"  I  was  wondering  where  you  had  gone,"  said  he. 

"  I  was  only  watching  the  moon,"  she  answered. 

"More  than  that — you  looked  as  if  your  soul  had 
drifted  off  into  the  farthest  brightness." 

"  How  very  poetical  !" 

"That  was  the  way  you  looked.  I  began  to  fear  you 
would  never  come  back.  It  would  have  been  worse  than 
the  distance  that  seemed  to  come  between  us  just  at  the 
beginning  of  our  visit  here,"  he  said,  trying  to  speak  jest- 
ingly, though  an  undertone  of  earnestness  was  very  per- 
ceptible. 

"  Now  that  is  more  fanciful  than  your  other  poetry," 
returned  she. 

"No,  no,"  he  said,  "it  was  not  fancy  ;  and  I  felt  quite 
frozen — as  if  I  had  been  exiled  into  some  bleak  Arctic 
region." 

"I  hope  you  have  come  back  from  your  exile,"  she 
answered,  laughing,  though  with  a  little  effort.  "  It  must 
have  been  voluntary." 

"Indeed,  no.  But  I  have  come  back — please  don't 
banish  me  again,"  he  pleaded,  with  an  impulsiveness  the 
more  striking,  the  more  attractive,  too,  from  its  contrast  to 
the  usually  quiet  manner  which  made  him  appear  older 
than  he  was.  "  Say  you  will  not !  If  I  do  anything,  or 
seem  to  do  anything  of  which  you  disapprove,  try  to  think 
you  misunderstand — to  believe  I  would  cut  my  right  hand 
off  sooner  than  risk  your  censure." 

Before  he  finished  the  sentence  he  had  ceased  even  to 
attempt  a  pretense  of  playfulness. 


THREE-AND-TIIIRTY.  119 

"At  least  I  can  assure  you  there  is  no  distance  of  ray 
making  between  us,"  she  said.  But  this  phrase  did  not  ex- 
actly suit  the  exigencies  of  the  case,  so  she  continued,  be- 
fore he  could  speak  :  "  No  distance  at  all,  I  mean.  I  hope 
we  are  very  good  friends.  You  may  be  certain  that  if  I 
do  misjudge  you — and  I  may  often,  being  an  impatient 
woman — I  shall  never  hesitate  to  atone  for  my  blunder." 

"  Thanks  !"  he  exclaimed,  with  more  emphasis  than  was 
necessary,  extending  his  hand  as  he  spoke. 

Now  Violet  did  not  want  to  take  his  hand  ;  it  would 
give  a  seriousness  to  the  explanation  from  which  she 
shrank,  yet  to  refuse  might  appear  a  ridiculous,  prudish 
calling  him  to  order.  Still  she  hesitated,  vexed  with  her- 
self for  so  doing,  as  a  rapid  question  flitted  through  her 
mind.  Was  she  afraid  ?  if  so,  of  whom — him  or  herself? 

And  he  was  waiting  with  his  hand  outstretched,  his 
eyes  on  her  face — only  a  second,  of  course,  long  as  the  in- 
terval seemed  to  her.  She  got  her  wits  back — oh  !  the 
shame  of  having  lost  them  even  for  the  space  necessary  to 
demand  the  reason  of  her  soul  !  She  tapped  his  fingers 
lightly  with  her  fan,  and  said  : 

"This  is  not  a  last  dying  speech,  that  we  should  grow 
tragic  over  it." 

"  I  told  you  those  weeks  of  imprisonment  had  made  me 
exigeant,"  returned  he,  trying  to  speak  calmly.  "  But, 
after  all,  it  is  not  my  fault — everybody  spoiled  me." 

"Then  I  suppose  we  must  have  patience  with  our  own 
work,  unless  you  make  it  absolutely  necessary  for  us  to  put 
you  on  a  moral  diet  of  bread  and  water,"  said  she,  with  a 
radiant  smile,  which  set  his  heart  beating  so  rapidly  that  he 
almost  thought  she  must  hear  its  pulsations. 

"  You  could  not  fail  to  be  kind  and  generous,"  he 
answered,  the  unsteadiness  of  his  voice  giving  a  signifi- 
cance to  his  words  which  made  them  too  earnest  for  mere 
compliment.  "  I  will  try  to  deserve  it — at  least  you  may 
be  sure  of  that." 

The  tone,  the  eager  look  in  his  eyes  startled  Violet  still 
further  out  of  that  deceitful  calmness  which  she  had  kept 
unbroken  during  the  past  days  by  treating  her  own  soul 
with  as  much  reticence  as  if  it  had  been  a  stranger's,  but 
she  replied  with  assumed  lightness  : 

"  Take  care  you  keep  your  good  resolutions.     If  that 


120  THREE- AND- THIRTY. 

were  as  easy  in  practice  as  it  is  in  theory,  what  admirable 
creatures  we  should  all  be  !" 

"  I  never  felt  my  own  failures  as  I  do  since  I  have 
known  you.  You  are  so  much  better  and  nobler  than 
other  women  that  you  make  one  ashamed  of  common 
thoughts  and  aims,"  he  cried,  carried  so  completely  beyond 
self-control  that  he  could  not  weigh  his  speech. 

He  had  never  spoken  like  this.  Violet's  troubled  sensa-- 
tion  grew  stronger,  not  at  the  words  themselves — she  was 
too  accustomed  to  men's  flatteries  to  have  noticed  these — 
but  the  tone  in  which  they  were  uttered — the  passion  of 
his  eyes,  which  said  so  much  more  than  voice  or  phrase — 
fairly  confused  her,  and  rendered  difficult  the  effort  to  treat 
his  remark  lightly,  skilled  as  she  was  in  the  knowledge 
whereby  a  woman  accustomed  to  society  increases  her 
natural  feminine  tact. 

"  You  forget,  only  yesterday  we  agreed  that  exaggerated 
compliments  were  very  uncomplimentary  things  in  reality," 
said  she,  laughing;  "  a  presupposing  of  inordinate  vanity  on 
her  part  who  receives  them." 

"You  know  I  did  not  intend  a  compliment — I  was  just 
thinking  aloud  !"  he  exclaimed,  each  instant  carried  further 
away  from  the  restraint  he  had  hitherto  managed  to  put 
upon  himself. 

"Monologues  went  out  along  with  the  old-fashioned 
novels,"  returned  she,  that  effort  at  playfulness  growing 
still  more  difficult. 

"  I  seem  to  know  you  so  well  ;  all  those  weeks  of  illness 
make  the  beginning  of  our  acquaintance  look  so  far  off. 
Oh,  I  don't  think  it  had  any  beginning  where  I  was  con- 
cerned ;  it  was  just  as  if  I  had  found  something  I  had  lost 
and  been  searching  for  ever  since." 

She  was  so  beautiful  in  her  quiet  pose  ;  the  moonlight 
made  her  complexion  so  unearthly  in  its  fairness,  her  eyes 
so  superhuman  in  their  dark  glow,  that  the  man  lost  his 
head  altogether  ;  forgot  all  his  wise  resolves,  forgot  every- 
thing save  that  in  this  glorious  creature  he  had  found  the 
ideal  perfection  which  had  haunted  his  fancy  so  long. 

What  did  he  say — what  did  she  answer?  ^Neither 
could  have  told  !  He  did  not  make  love  to  her  in  the  or- 
dinary sense  of  the  phrase,  but  he  let  his  whole  soul  out  as 
he  hurried  on  in  eager  talk  of  those  blessed  days  when  she 
brightened  his  sick-room  with  her  presence,  and  Violet  was 


THREE-AND-THIRTT.  121 

moved  by  his  eloquence  to  forget  for  a  few  moments  that 
just  below  the  height  to  which  his  imagination  had  floated 
them,  the  bleak  rocks  of  reality  showed  sharp  and  cruel  in 
the  common  light  of  the  common  world. 

Then  the  very  fire  of  his  speech  forced  reflection  upon 
her.  What  did  this  language  mean?  Was  she  to  think 

that  his  heart Oh,  she  would  not  even  complete  the 

absurd  thought !  Mere  compliments — empty  trash — such 
as  young  men  talked  to  any  woman  tolerably  pretty  and  at- 
tractive, who  chanced  to  sit  with  them  in  the  moonlight  ! 
Part  of  a  young  man's  education,  but  not  the  style  of  conver- 
sation for  her  to  listen  to — for  her,  sobered  by  the  weight  of 
her  three-and-thirty  years  !  How  nonsensical  to  be  fluttered 
even  for  an  instant  !  Was  it  possible  that  the  dreamy 
idleness  of  these  past  days,  whose  spell  upon  himself  he  de- 
scribed so  vividly,  had  enthralled  her  too  ?  No,  no  !  Back 
to  the  realm  of  common-sense  and  commonplace  !  Wis- 
dom, Violet  Cameron,  wisdom  !  An  old  maid — yes,  an 
old  maid  !  No  Juliet  of  eighteen  on  her  balcony  with 
Romeo  below  ;  a  spinster,  well  on  towards  middle  age, 
just  as  near  as  if  her  face  were  plain  and  wrinkled  already 
(as  it  ought  to  be),  instead  of  keeping,  from  some  absurd 
freak  of  nature,  a  semblance  of  youth — a  cruel  freak, 
since  it  exposed  her  to  this — to  the  bitter  consciousness 
that  not  only  had  fancy  led  him  astray,  but  she,  she  had 
let  the  charm  of  this  lotus-flower-crowned  season  wile  her 
into  forgetfulness. 

And  all  the  while  he  went  on  speaking,  and  all  the  while 
her  heart  and  soul  were  thrilled  by  his  eager  words,  even 
in  the  midst  of  her  ability  to  listen  to  the  upbraidings  of 
ber  suddenly-roused  judgment. 

What  was  he  saying — oh,  what  was  he  saying? 

"  Ah,  admit  that  all  these  things  at  once  put  our 
acquaintance  on  an  exceptional  footing — that  they  prevent 
my  seeming  just  like  the  ordinary  crowd  about — at  least 
say  so  much  !" 

"  We  are  very  good  friends,  and  mean  to  stay  so,"  she 
heard  her  voice  say,  not  speaking  from  any  volition  of  her 
own  ;  she  felt  as  if  some  guardian  power  spoke  through 
her,  good-natured  enough  to  wish  to  save  them  both  future 
pain  :  save  him  at  least — no  matter  about  her — an  old 
maid's  sufferings  from  a  wounded  heart  were  only  laugh- 
able !  Well,  well !  in  order  to  waken  him  it  was  only 


122  THREE-AND-TIIIRTY. 

necessary  to  tell  her  age ;  his  dream — if  he  had  been 
dreaming — had  occupied  his  imagination  merely — a  young 
man's  fancy  !  Yes,  tell  her  age  and  he  would  speedily  dis- 
cover that  he  had  deceived  himself  in  regard  to  his  heart 
having  stirred,  just  as  her  face  by  its  deceitful  smoothness 
had  deceived  him  into  a  belief  that  she  was  young  enough 
to  be  the  cause  of  such  commotion. 

"  How  old  are  you?"  she  asked,  abruptly. 

Aylmer  was  not  exactly  confused,  but  a  little  taken 
back  by  this  interruption  to  his  blank  vei*se.  Some  vague 
remembrance  of  speculations  in  regard  to  her  years,  which 
he  had  several  times  overheard,  flitted  through  his  mind — 
influenced  his  reply  too. 

"  I  am  twenty-eight,"  he  said  ;  "  at  least  I  shall  be  so 
soon  that  I  may  call  it  my  age." 

He  was  exactly  three  months  and  four  days  past  twenty- 
seven,  but  then  mathematical  precision  always  sounds  sen- 
tentious and  absurd  ! 

"  I  am  twenty-eight,"  he  repeated,  as  if  the  second  as- 
sertion would  do  away  with  the  fact  of  the  birthday  not 
having  yet  arrived. 

"  And  I  am  thirty-four  ;  at  least  (to  quote  your  words), 
I  shall  be  so  soon  that  I  may  call  it  my  age,"  returned  she, 
with  the  merriest  laugh  that  ever  made  music  on  the  lips 
of  a  girl  at  sixteen.  Laugh  she  would— laugh  gayly  too, 
if  the  effort  killed  her  :  though  if  she  could  not  havo 
laughed,  she  would  have  been  ready  to  kill  herself,  she  said 
mentally. 

I  am  trying  to  relate  events  exactly  as  they  occurred 
— to  give  a  description  of  feelings  just  as  they  arose, 
whether  wise  or  foolish,  orderly  or  inconsequent — so  I 
must  tell  the  whole.  Aylmer  felt  as  if  he  had  suddenly 
received  a  douche  of  ice-water  full  on  his  fired  fancy  ! 
An  unmarried  woman  of  four-and-thirty  is  almost  an  old 

woman — that  was  the  one  conscious,   stupid  thought  in  his 

•    i 
mind. 

"  Yes,  I  am  thirty-four,"  continued  Violet,  still  follow- 
ing his  speeches  as  models — no  bitterness,  no  hesitation  in 
her  tone — her  voice  soft,  airy,  careless,  and  full  of  enjoy- 
ment. Somehow,  she  did  feel  a  certain  triumph,  as  if 
crushing  her  own  vanity.  Later,  a  measure  of  sadness 
and  regret  might  mingle  with  the  remembrance,  but  for 
^he  instant  the  comical  side  of  the  situation  appealed  to 


THREE-AND-TIIIRTT.  123 

her,  and  her  amusement  was  perfectly  genuine.  "  Too 
old,  you  see,  not  to  have  exhausted  the  pleasure  of  exag- 
gerated compliments  ;  especially  averse  to  being  treated  to 
them  by  my  friends — my  real  friends." 

Still  under  the  influence  of  that  sensation,  which  I  can 
only  describe  by  my  comparison  of  the  douche  of  ice-water, 
he  looked  at  her  again  as  she  sat  laughing — her  eyes  bril- 
liant, her  color  heightened,  her  complexion  soft  and  trans- 
parent as  a  child's.  She  was  jesting — quoting  the  verdict 
of  some  envious  woman  —  curious  to  see  if  he  would 
credit  it. 

"  No  doubt  you  will  be  thirty,  and  thirty-four,  if  you 
live  long  enough,"  he  said,  laughing  too. 

He  recognized  the  doleful  comrnonplaceness  of  the 
remark,  but  he  was  too  determined  to  consider  what  she 
had  said  a  joke  to  attempt  compliments  which  might  imply 
any  faith  in  its  having  been  serious. 

A  certain  bitterness  seized  Violet ;  whether  towards  him 
on  account  of  his  unbelief,  or  against  Fate  for  its  cruelty, 
she  could  not  have  told. 

"  Must  I  bring  a  certificate  of  birth  in  order  to  end 
your  courteous  doubts  ?"  she  asked.  .  "  I  shall  be  thirty- 
four  years  old  within  the  twelvemonth." 

She  was  in  earnest,  he  perceived  that.  Further  expres- 
sion of  incredulity  would  appear  an  impertinence.  Yet 
never  had  he  seen  her  look  younger — never  so  beautiful  ! 

"  You'd  better  not  let  the  girls  of  seventeen  know  the 
fact,  else  they  will  certainly  strangle  you,"  he  blurted  forth, 
with  a  school-boy  sort  of  honesty  so  ludicrously  out  of  keep- 
ing with  his  six  feet  of  stateliness  that  somehow  the  answer 
sounded  as  complimentary  as  it  did  absurd. 

"  Promising  young  man  !"  cried  Violet,  laughing  again, 
though  now  her  laughter  stung  away  down  close  to  her 
heart.  "  But  no  more  pretty  speeches,  please.  I  told  you 
the  truth  to  do  away  with  the  necessity.  I  am  tired  of  sugary 
talk  ;  I  have  had  enough  !  No  need  of  it,  even  between 
a  man  and  a  woman,  when  the  two  are  friends." 

She  held  out  her  hand,  recollecting  as  she  did  so  how  a 
few  instants  previous  she  had  shrunk  from  accepting  his  ; 
but  the  recollection  only  rendered  her  more  resolute  in  her 
frankness — she  was  three-and-thirty,  and  could  claim  the 
privileges  of  her  age. 

But  the  spell  of  her  beauty  was  too  potent  for  any  wise 


1 24  THREE- AND-  THIRTY. 

warning  of  hers,  any  flash  of  disappointment,  long  to  affect 
its  influence  ;  it  surged  back  with  redoubled  force  from  the 
very  reaction  of  that  brief  shock. 

"  Friends  !"  he  echoed,  pressing  his  lips  upon  her  fingers. 

He  might  have  said  more — have  shown  her  thai  he  pro- 
nounced the  word  in  repudiation  of  his  willingness  to  be 
kept  upon  the  calm  ground  of  friendship,  but  she  prevented 
any  such  dangerous  avowal  by  interpreting  his  exclamation 
into  an  acceptance  of  her  tacitly-proposed  treaty. 

"  That  is  right — thanks  !  And  now  you  will  remember 
that  flowery  phrases  are  a  little — just  a  little  out  of  place — 
say  twelve  or  thirteen  years  too  late  !" 

Her  determined  jesting,  though  it  hurt  and  vexed  him, 
produced  one  fortunate  effect — it  brought  a  conviction  that 
if  he  did  not  acquiesce  in  thus  pushing  the  conversation 
back  to  an  ordinary  footing,  he  should  risk  vitally  injuring 
his  own  cause,  and,  agitated  as  he  was,  he  managed  with 
more  address  than  many  men  would  have  shown. 

"  I'll  weed  out  all  the  flowers  carefully  henceforth,"  he 
said,  trying  to  imitate  her  playful  tone. 

"  The  sure  way  to  keep  me  good-natured,"  she  answered. 
"  The  rose-bud  style  makes  me  feel  silly." 

"  Oh,  there  are  exceptions  to  all  ordinary  rules,"  said  he. 
"  If  you  will  have  eternal  youth  you  must  take  the  conse- 
quences, as  the  few  other  women  so  endowed  had  to  do  in 
their  time." 

He  stopped  short.  Ninon's  name  had  been  on  his  lips 
as  a  comparison  ;  then  he  remembered  that  Ninon  and 
every  other  woman  whom  history  had  chronicled  as  hold- 
ing, past  youth,  past  middle  age,  the  undimmed  love- 
liness which  gave  them  absolute  sovereignty  over  men's 
hearts,  had  been  women  whose  conduct  rendered  any  refer- 
ence to  their  names  exceedingly  out  of  place  in  this  con- 
nection. 

"True,"  said  Violet,  quickly,  by  the  strange  clairvoy- 
ance which  the  great  sympathy  between  their  minds  gave 
her,  reading  his  thought  as  plainly  as  if  it  had  been  uttered. 
"  But  unfortunately,  as  you  reflected  after  speaking,  all  the 
examples  you  can  think  bf  were  wicked  women." 

"Oh  !"  he  exclaimed,  with  an  indescribable  impatience. 

"  Well,  well,  I  am  sorry  they  were  bad,"  said  she,  piti 
lessly. 

"  And  to  compare — 


TUREE- AND- THIRTY.  125 

"Yes,  yes,  never  mind — don't  be  shocked.  Recollect 
that  a  woman  of  ray  age  lias  a  right  to  talk  freely  on  all  sub- 
jects. The  years  which  have  lost  me  youth  give  some 
compensation — I  may  say  things  a  girl  could  not,  and  yet 
be  neither  indecorous  nor  indelicate." 

She  resolved  to  cure  him  effectually — to  cure  herself 
too,  or  rather  so  to  sear  any  possible  wound  by  the  hot  iron 
of  sarcastic  speech,  that  it  should  close  and  heal  without 
delay.  The  scar  would  remain,  no  doubt — ah,  even  physi- 
cal wounds  received  after  early  youth  leave  an  indelible 
scar  !  Well,  the  sight  of  it,  maybe  the  ache  of  it  now  and 
then,  would  be  good  for  her  soul. 

She  found  time,  in  the  instant  which  followed  her  last 
remark,  to  elaborate  with  womanly  quickness  her  thought 
much  further  and  more  clearly  than  I,  with  my  clumsy  pen, 
have  been  able  to  express  in  that  paragraph  of  description, 
yet  be  ready  before  he  could  speak  to  pursue  her  advantage 
by  another  thrust  of  the  hot  iron  which  was  to  scorch  them 
both  into  recovery. 

"  Good  heavens  !  surely  I  may  say  what  I  like  !  Past 
thirty-three  !  Why,  if  I  had  married  at  sixteen,  as  so  many 
American  girls  do,  I  might  have  almost  grown-up  daugh- 
ters about  me.  No  freedom  of  speech  would  have  been 
considered  unfitting  then." 

She  had  overdone  her  work  !  He  looked  at  her  as  she 
spoke,  immortal  in  her  youth  apparently,  rose  quickly,  and 
held  out  his  arm,  saying  : 

"  Come  into  the  house  a  moment,  please." 

She  obeyed,  thinking  that,  whatever  his  reason  for  the 
demand,  compliance  therewith  would  put  an  end  to  the  con- 
versation, which  had  gone  far  enough. 

He  led  her  into  the  salon,  where  the  lamps  were  burning 
brightly,  and,  before  she  suspected  his  intention,  conducted 
her  towards  a  great  mirror  and  pointed  to  the  radiant 
image  shining  therein. 

"  I  can't  help  laughing,"  he  said  ;  "  it  is  too  absurd." 

Violet  gave  one  glance  at  their  figures  reflected  side  by 
side,  and  turned  quickly,  saying,  with  as  much  iciness  as 
her  voice  could  muster  : 

"  Facts  are  stubborn  things  ;  dates  the  stubbornest  facts 
of  all." 

"  I  don't  care  about  dates,"  cried  he  ;  "  they  have  no 
significance  when  so  utterly  refuted.  I  don't  care  !" 


126         SHE  ACCUSED  HERSELF. 

"  But  I  do,"  said  Violet,  and  removed  her  hand  from 
his  arm. 

Before  he  could  answer,  Nina  appeared  in  the  doorway, 
exclaiming  : 

"  Oh,  there  you  are !  My  headache  is  quite  gone. 
Please  to  amuse  me  and  make  me  forget  my  dreadful 
dream  !  I  saw  Giulia  da  Rimini  pushing  a  woman  over  a 
precipice,  and  I  screamed  out  ;  and  it  was  you,  Violet — I 
saw  your  face  then.  Mr.  Aylmer  was  trying  to  save  you, 
and  somebody — a  young  girl — looking  helplessly  on  !  Oh, 
it  was  horrible  !  don't  let  me  think  about  it  !  Ring  the 
bell,  Signer  Lorenzo ;  we  will  have  some  tea.  I  need  it, 
and  you  ought  to,  after  all  my  trouble  in  my  dreams  about 
you  both." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SHE  ACCUSED  HERSELF. 

LONE  in  her  room  that  night,  Violet  sat  down 
opposite   her    mirror,    looked    sternly   at    the 
reflection  therein,  and  began  to  ask  it  certain 
questions,  determined  to  have  them  answered 
if  she  waited  till  the  sun  rose. 
What  ailed  her — what  had  come  over  her  during  these 
past  weeks — and  to  what  must  she  attribute  the  strange 
mental  aberration  whereof  she  boldly  accused  herself  ? 

Laurence  Aylmer  had  conceived  a  fancy  for  her — very 
probably  he  called  it  love  ;  a  young  man's  fancy  was  the 
correct  name,  and  Violet  nodded  severely  as  she  put  that 
portion  of  her  soliloquy  into  words. 

"  You  are  not  a  girl,  not  even  a  very  young  woman, 
that  I  should  call  in  any  modest  reticence  to  your  aid,"  she 
told  the  image,  which  smiled  at  this  remark,  thereupon 
appearing  so  youthful  in  its  radiant  loveliness  that  Violet 
cried  out  in  wrath  :  "  You  may  try  with  all  your  might  to 
look  twenty-four,  but  you  are  an  old  maid  just  the  same  ! 
You  will  be  four-and-thirty  your  next  birthday,  miss — you 
can't  delude  me  /" 

But  this  thrust,  which  gave  her  the  more  satisfaction 


SHE    ACCUSED    HERSELF.  127 

because  it  hurt  either  her  heart  or  vanity,  had  no  effect  on 
the  image  ;  it  smiled  at  her  still,  serene  in  the  arrogance  of 
beauty. 

"  Four-and-thirty  !"  repeated  Violet,  venomously,  and 
tried  to  wrinkle  her  forehead,  but  the  image  would  only 
copy  her  pretty  dimples,  apparently  regarding  the  frown 
as  a  mere  shadow  not  worth  photographing. 

"  He  is  seveu-and-twenty,"  pursued  Violet ;  "  seven- 
and-twenty — why,  a  boy  still,  who  must  indulge  in  a  score 
of  fancies  before  he  learns  what  love  means  !  And  you 
like  him — yes,  you  do  !  I  am  too  much  ashamed  of  you  to 
give  a  stronger  name,  though  you  deserve  it.  And  you 
have  been  dreaming  about  fate,  and  called  your  acquaint- 
ance with  him  something  set  outside  common  laws,  because 
a  few  little  romantic  circumstances  surrounded  its  com- 
mencement. And  you  never  have  loved  anybody  ;  destiny 
wasted  your  girlhood  so  far  as  love  was  concerned — except 
once,  and  then  you  had  neither  soul  nor  brains  to  appre- 
ciate the  man  who  catne  to  you  with  the  offering  of  his 
great  heart — a  man  worth  a  score  of  this  Romeo  you  are 
poetizing  over  !" 

But  here  the  image  looked  such  utter  and  overwhelming 
unbelief,  that  Violet  was  forced  to  retract  the  assertion  if 
she  desired  to  fulfill  her  vow  of  being  perfectly  honest. 

"  No,  I  don't  mean  that.  He  is  as  clever  and  honorable 
and  good  as  he  is  handsome  ;  oh,  I  am  not  afraid  to  speak 
the  truth  !"  and  she  fairly  shook  her  clenched  hand  in  the 
glass.  Then  hearing  her  own  voice  clear  and  distinct, 
started  and  glanced  over  her  shoulder,  with  a  nervous 
fancy  that  she  was  not  alone  with  her  own  reflection  in  the 
mirror,  but  that  some  supernatural  agency  was  directing 
the  whole  matter.  A  sudden  feeling  of  pity  struck  her  for 
that  beautiful  face,  and  she  exclaimed  :  "  It  is  hard — hard  ! 
Life  gives  you  everything  when  it  is  too  late — too  late  !" 

She  leaned  her  head  upon  the  table  and  sobbed  like 
a  child,  she,  whose  tears  so  seldom  flowed  without  good 
reason,  and  then  were  usually  caused  by  the  woes  of  others, 
not  her  own. 

In  the  commonplace  light  of  the  morning,  Violet  felt 
reassured  of  her  own  strength — felt  a  little  grave,  sad  too  ; 
naturally,  she  admitted,  after  recalling  the  chill  uneventful- 
ness  of  her  girlhood,  the  emptiness  of  that  spring  which 
ought  to  have  held  experiences  enough  to  crowd  all  later 


128         SHE  ACCUSED  HERSELF. 

years  so  full  of  happy  memories  that  even  age  would  not 
appear  barren. 

This  thought  kept  her  from  being  ashamed  of  her  tears. 
She  had  reason  to  regret  her  youth,  left  void  of  what  ren- 
ders youth  beautiful.  Neither  gratified  dreams  nor  hopes 
had  come  within  its  reach  ;  it  had  waned  and  died  without 
attaining  youth's  highest  apotheosis — love.  She  had  been 
defrauded,  and  neither  here  nor  hereafter  could  existence 
atone  for  the  wrong.  She  might  be  happy  in  this  world 
and  the  next,  but  that  void  in  memory  would  always 
remain.  No  compensation  could  be  made  her  ;  the  blank 
could  never  be  filled,  because  it  was  now  too  late  to  let  her 
heart  waken,  even  if  the  enchanter  were  to  call  with  such 
power  that  his  voice  sounded  like  the  summons  of  Destiny 
itself. 

Love  was  for  the  young  ;  to  her  age  belonged  moderate 
sentiments.  Friendship,  esteem,  affection,  if  one  pleased  ; 
but  four-and-thirty  and  love  were  anomalies  as  absurd  as 
low-necked  dresses  on  some  spinster  of  Eliza  Bronson's 
years,  and  the  consequent  display  of  bones  which  had  done 
such  good  service  for  half  a  century,  that  it  seemed  at  once 
ridiculous  and  unfeeling  to  expose  them  now. 

The  very  passion  of  Violet's  mood  would  have  proved 
to  another  person  that  in  spite  of  her  assertions  she  had 
not  reached  a  stand-point  so  wholly  within  the  control  of 
reason  and  common-sense  as  she  believed.  Some  vague 
idea  of  this  nature  occurred  to  her,  and  she  gave  a  new 
fling  at  the  image,  which,  though  a  little  pale  and  sad-eyed, 
only  looked  the  more  lovely  in  its  softened  guise. 

"  It  is  silly  even  to  think  of  what  might  have  been," 
Violet  said  to  her  victim  ;  "  wicked  too — a  rebellion  against 
Providence." 

The  image  stared  at  her  with  a  sudden  bitter  smile  on 
its  beautiful  mouth — a  sudden  tire  in  its  beautiful  eyes,  and 
seemed  to  say  : 

"  I  hate  Providence  then,  if  it  is  the  fault  of  Providence 
that  I  am  to  have  no  youth  !" 

Violet  started  up,  frightened,  as  you  and  I  have  been 
more  than  once  when  our  souls  have  cried  out  with  super- 
natural strength  against  their  human  miseries,  roused  by 
some  catastrophe  to  utter  the  unanswerable  demand  of  a 
reason  for  those  griefs  and  disappointments,  to  bear  which 


SHE    ACCUSED    HERSELF,  129 

has  seemed  at  such  moments  the  sole  ground  to  assign  for 
our  creation. 

As  Violet  was  leaving  the  hands  of  the  skillful  Clarice, 
the  roll  of  carriage-wheels  became  audible  ;  voices,  too, 
from  below  made  themselves  heard  in  the  dressing-room, 
situated  in  an  angle  of  the  building  that  commanded  a  view 
of  the  entrance. 

"  Why,  I  am  sure  it  is  Mademoiselle  Bronsone  !"  ex- 
claimed Clarice,  running  to  a  window  and  peeping  out. 
"  Yes,  yes,  it  is — and  the  professor.  She  weeps,  the  poor 
demoiselle — oh,  how  she  weeps  !" 

"  What  can  be  the  matter  ?"  cried  Violet,  hastening  to- 
wards the  door. 

"Mademoiselle  should  not  disquiet  herself,"  counseled 
Clarice,  philosophically.  "  The  good  Demoiselle  Bron-sone 
weeps  so  easily  !  The  professor  laughs  ;  he  pretends  to  be 
comforting  her — but  he  laughs,  the  wicked  one  !  He  is 
always  happy  to  tease  the  poor  lady  !  It  is  nothing — mad- 
emoiselle may  be  assured  it  is  nothing." 

When  Violet  reached  the  lower  corridor,  she  saw  her 
friend  standing  in  the  door,  talking  excitedly  to  old  Pietro, 
though  with  no  other  effect  than  to  make  him  look  utterly 
helpless  and  imbecile,  as  in  her  agitation  she  spoke  English, 
while  the  professor  leaned,  calm  and  dignified,  against  a 
pillar,  regarding  her  with  his  most  Sphinx-like  smile. 

"  I  want  Violet !"  moaned  Eliza,  breaking  off  in  what 
appeared  to  be  some  recital  of  disaster,  and  turning  des- 
perately upon  the  sage.  "  Oh,  professor,  don't  stand  there 
like  a  bronze  statue,  but  say  it  so  the  creature  can  under- 
stand, for  I  am  so  troubled  that  I  cannot  speak  my  own 
language,  much  less  his  !  Violet — I  must  see  Violet  !" 

"  And  here  she  is,"  said  that  lady,  moving  forward. 

Miss  Bronson  uttered  a  shriek  and  fell  upon  her  neck, 
weeping  b^terly.  Pietro  discreetly  disappeared,  and,  in 
his  wicked^knjoyment  of  the  spinster's  distress,  the  pro- 
fessor stood  on  his  left  foot,  and  with  difficulty  kept  from 
waving  his  right  leg  in  the  air  after  a  fashion  which  would 
have  been  highly  unbecoming  a  man  of  his  reputation  and 
scientific  acquirements. 

"  I   hope  there   is   nothing   serious   the   matter,"   said 
Violet,  loosening  the  clasp  of  Eliza's  arms,  so  as  to  be  able 
to  breathe  and  speak. 
G* 


130  SHE    ACCUSED    HERSELF. 

"  Matter  !"  groaned  Miss  Bronson,  and  paused,  choked 
by  sobs. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Fraulein  ?"  asked  the  professor,  as 
beamingly  as  if  Eliza  had  been  chanting  a  humorous  ditty. 
"  We  have  come  to  make  you  an  early  visit — give  us 
welcome  !" 

"I  perceive  that  you  have,"  replied  Violet,  unable  to 
repress  her  laughter  at  the  ludicrous  contrast  between 
Eliza's  misery  and  the  savant's  determined,  not  to  say  dia- 
bolical, cheerfulness. 

"  Don't  laugh — don't  !"  moaned  Miss  Eronson,  sinking 
into  a  chair.  "  Oh  !  oh  !  the  ceiling  fell  and  ruined  every- 
thing !  A  wreck — a  mere  wreck  !  I  said  I'd  better  escape 
with  my  life,  and  so  live  to  tell  you  ;  and  I  brought  the 
professor — most  improper — but  not  a  time  to  stop  for  cere- 
mony !  And,  oh  !  I  did  all  I  could — I'd  have  held  it  up 
with  broomsticks  till  I  was  crushed  ;  but  how  could  I  sup- 
port a  whole  house  ?  And  I  warned  you  not  to  buy  it — 
you  must  admit  that  !  I  begged  and  prayed  you  not  to  buy 
it  !  Two  lone  ladies  in  a  corrupt  foreign  land  !  So  do  not 
blame  me  ;  oh!  that  I  cannot  bear!  "it  is  too  much — too 
much  !" 

"  What  does  she  mean,  professor  ?"  demanded  Violet. 

"  All  fallen  in— all  !"  cried  Eliza.  "  Yes,  tell  her,  pro- 
fessor ;  break  it  as  gently  as  you  can.  Be  prepared,  Violet 
— be  prepared.  And  I  begged  you  not  to  buy  it  ;  I  prayed 
you  to  flee  from  the  wickedness  of  this  Papistical  country  !" 

She  sobbed  so  loud  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  pro- 
fessor to  utter  a  syllable,  but  he  reassured  Miss  Cameron 
by  a  glance  which  in  a  less  distinguished  personage  might 
almost  have  been  considered  a  wink. 

"  Try  not  to  sob  so  loud,  Eliza,"  said  Violet  ;  "  you  will 
rouse  the  whole  household  :  besides,  you  don't  give  the 
professor  an  opportunity  to  tell  me  what  is  the  matter." 

"  Speak,  professor,  speak  !"  ordered  Eliz^"  when  I 
have  begged  you,  implored  you  to  tell  the  tale  !  Oh,  was 
there  ever  a  man  so  perverse?"  and  her  sudden  irritation 
against  the  savant  helped  to  compose  her  slightly. 

"  Miss  Bronson  has  been  somewhat  agitated,"  the  pro- 
fessor began. 

"  Somewhat !  "  repeated  Eliza,  in  a  strangled  scream. 

"  In  fact,  she  had  a  little  fright " 

"A  little  fright  !     Oh,  if  that  is  the  way  you  state  mat- 


SHE    ACCUSED    HERSELF.  131 

ters,  pray  let  me  break  the  awful  news  myself,"  said  Eliza, 
putting  her  handkerchief  to  her  eyes,  and  then  removing  it 
to  bestow  a  withering  glare  upon  the  sage.  "  I  thought — 
yes,  I  own  it,  I  thought,  professor,  that  at  such  a  moment 
your  much-vaunted  friendship  for  Miss  Cameron  would 
have  asserted  itself  !  I  fondly  believed  that  you  would 
employ  such  mental  resources  as  you  could  command  to 
break  gently  to  her  the  catastrophe  !"  Then  her  dignity 
failed,  and  she  began  to  wring  her  hands,  crying  :  "  Oh, 
Violet,  Violet !  the  whole  house  may  have  fallen  in  by  now 
— everything  ruined  1  and  I  begged  and  besought ': 

"  Yes,  I  know  you  did,"  interrupted  Violet.  "  Come, 
whatever  the  accident — and  I  suppose  it  must  be  something 
terrible — at  least  you  are  alive  and  unhurt.  And  here  is 
the  professor  Safe  too,  and  ready  to  unfold  the  tale,  if  you 
will  allow  him." 

"  Oh,  the  professor  !"  exclaimed  Eliza,  in  high  scorn  ; 
"  he  is  safe  enough,  and  as  useless  as  only  a  man  can  be. 
Standing  there,  dumb  and  deaf,  when  he  came  on  purpose 
to  help  me  impart  the  news  ;  though  a  person  who  pretends 
to  have  a  dozen  Oriental  languages  at  his  command  might, 
one  would  think,  find  some  tongue  in  which  to  reveal  the 
tidings  !" 

"If  I  had  a  pencil  I  would  attempt  to  make  it  clear  in 
hieroglyphics  on  the  door-post,"  said  the  professor. 

"And  that  is  the  way  he  has  treated  me  during  the  whole 
drive  !"  cried  Eliza,  spreading  wide  her  hands  with  a  ges- 
ture of  despair.  "I  could  not  have  believed — no,  unless 
he  had  proved  it  himself — I  could  not  have  believed  that 
any  human  being  would  behave  as  he  has  done  to  a  friend 
—a  lady  !" 

"Heavens,  professor,  what  do  I  hear?"  said  Violet. 

"I  did  my  best  to  soothe  her,"  replied  the  professor, 
every  feature  of  his  grim  face  lighted  with  ecstatic  enjoy- 
ment. "  Why,  she  was  quite  composed,  and  laughed 
heartily  during  our  drive.  It  is  only  seeing  you  that  has 
unnerved  her." 

Eliza  gave  him  another  disdainfid  glance,  and  turned 
away  her  head,  rising  slowly  and  with  majesty. 

"Violet,"  she  said,  "if  you  will  permit,  I  shall  go  up 
to  your  room  and  repose  myself  for  a  little.  Now  that 
you  know  the  worst — now  that  I  have  told  you  what  has 
happened — I  feel  the  effects  of  my  late  terror.  It  only  re- 


132  SHE    ACCUSED    HERSELF. 

mains  for  me  to  thank  Professor  Schmidt  for  the  great  as- 
sistance he  has  given  in  this  moment  of  need,  and  to  assure 
him  that.  I  heartily  regret  having  burdened  his  scientific 
mind  with  our  troubles." 

She  swept  down  the  corridor  towards  the  stairs,  looked 
back  over  her  shoulder  to  say  : 

"  You  have  your  usual  rooms,  I  suppose,  Violet  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  dear,"  replied  Violet,  mildly,  and  Eliza  dis- 
appeared. 

The  professor  rubbed  his  hands  and  chuckled. 

"  Fraulein,"  said  he,  "  I  have  seen  her  under  the  influ- 
ence of  many  varying  emotions,  but  I  don't  think  she  ever 
gave  us  anything  so  delicious  as  this  !  She  really  has  sur- 
passed herself  !  I  wish — oh,  I  wish  I  could  have  embalmed 
her  with  that  expression  on  her  face  !" 

"  Now  tell  me  what  foundation  there  was  for  her  dis- 
tress ?"  asked  Violet.  "  I  suppose  the  house  is  not  quite 
in  ruins?" 

"  A  bit  of  the  ceiling  fell  in  one  of  the  anterooms,"  the 
professor  explained.  "  I  had  gone  to  the  house  to  beg  our 
beloved  Eliza  to  send  you  a  little  parcel  (only  some  pamph- 
lets you  wanted),  and  then  I  thought  I  might  as  well  go  up 
stairs  and  write  you  a  note.  She  dashed  out  just  as  I 
reached  the  landing,  with  half  a  dozen  women  after  her  as 
frightened  as  herself  ;  it  was  even  better  than  the  poison- 
ing scene,  I  assure  you/' 

"Poor  Eliza,  to  have  to  depend  upon  you  for  sym- 
pathy !"  laughed  Violet. 

"  Nobody  could  have  been  more  sympathizing  than  I 
was,"  said  the  professor.  "She  finally  decided  to  drive 
over  here  and  tell  you  the  fatal  tidings,  and  as  1  had  noth- 
ing to  do,  I  thought  I  would  accompany  her  and  see  you 
all.  Everybody  is  well,  I  hope?  Have  you  taken  good 
care  of  my  Laurence  ?" 

"  Here  he  comes  with  the  marchese,  so  he  can  speak  for 
himself,"  Violet  said,  as  Aylmer  and  his  host  appeared 
from  the  garden.  She  exchanged  greetings  with  the  two 
gentlemen,  then  went  away  to  find  Miss  Bronson,  not  sorry 
to  escape  the  eager,  questioning  looks  which  Aylmer's  eyes 
cast  upon  her. 

She  would  return  home  ;  that  determination  seized  her 
while  mounting  the  stairs.  The  accident  which  Eliza  had 
come  to  report  would  serve  as  an  excuse,  and  she  wanted 


SHE    ACCUSED    HERSELF.  133 

to  get  away.  Just  now,  to  remain  under  the  same  roof 
with  Aylmer  would  give  him  so  many  opportunities  of  re- 
newing the  conversation  of  the  previous  night  that  she 
should  be  at  a  disadvantage.  .After  a  few  days  of  not  see- 
ing her,  he  would  have  had  leisure  to  attain  to  a  more  sen- 
sible mood,  be  ready  to  listen  to  her  wise  arguments,  and 
not  trouble  the  course  of  their  friendship  by  any  further 
approaches  to  romantic  folly. 

She  found  Eliza  established  in  an  easy-chair  in  her 
boudoir,  drinking  sal  volatile  and  water,  and  relating  the 
accident  to  Clarice,  who  listened  with  well-simulated 
interest. 

"So  a  bit  of  the  ceiling  fell  in  the  antechamber,"  said 
Violet,  as  the  maid  retired.  "  Quite  a  special  interposition 
of  Providence.  I  always  hated  those  frescoes." 

"  Really,  Violet,"  observed  Miss  Bronson,  looking  hor- 
rified, "it  is  positively  wicked  to  speak  in  that  light 
way " 

"But  since  no  harm  was  done  !" 

"Such  a  state  as  the  room  is  in  !  And  we  might  all 
have  been  killed — every  soul  in  the  house,  and  half  the 
people  we  know  into  the  bargain  !"  cried  Eliza.  "  And 
you  to  speak  so  carelessly  instead  of  being  grateful — yes, 
prayerful,  over  our  escape  !" 

"  I'll  be  as  grateful  as  you  like,  my  dear  ;  but  I  can't 
help  rejoicing  at  the  opportunity  for  changing  those  fres- 
coes. You  are  safe,  and  so  is  the  rest  of  the  household — 
our  friends  are,  too — no  damage  done  that  I  can  discover." 

"  It  is  downright  cruel  of  you  to  speak  like  that,  when 
you  know  how  fond  I  was  of  that  dear  little  rococo  dog  ; 
and  he  never  ought  to  have  stood  on  the  anteroom  table, 
and  now  he  is  smashed  to  atoms,  and  nothing  left  but  the 
end  of  his  beautiful  little  red  tail  with  a  black  spot  on  the 
tip  !" 

"My  dear,  he  was  only  china  !  We'll  stop  at  Janetti's 
this  very  day,  and  I'll  buy  you  a  more  picturesquely  ugly 
one  even  than  he.  I  saw  a  charming  beast  there — vivid 
green — mediaeval — with  no  tail  at  all,  but  he  had  two  heads 
to  make  up  for  the  lack  !  So  don't  be  downcast,  Eliza." 

"It  is  your  levity  that  troubles  me,"  said  Eliza  ;  "if  I 
could  only  teach  you  to  see  that  life  is  a  serious  matter — 
that  we  are  creatures  of  an  hour  ;  here  perhaps  to-day, 


134  SUE    ACCUSED    HERSELF. 

and  to-morrow — ah,  where  ?  Who  shall  say — gone  like 
sparks " 

"Or  your  little  blue  dog  with  a  red  tail  !"  interrupted 
Violet. 

"Heedless,  unreflecting  girl !"  sighed  Eliza. 

"  Signorina  !"  muttered  Violet,  thinking  of  the  previous 
evening,  and  feeling  so  near  mingled  tears  and  laughter, 
that  she  felt  herself  as  absurd  as^Eliza.  "If  I  don't  take 
care  we  shall  be  two  hysterical  old  maids  together  !" 

"  What  did  you  say,  Violet  ?" 

"I  say  that  I  am  going  back  to  town  with  you.  I 
have  an  excuse,  and,  to  own  the  truth,  I  am  not  sorry  to  get 
away." 

"Why,  nothing  unpleasant  has  happened,  I  hope? 
Nina  hasn't  done  anything  to  annoy  you  ?" 

"What  an  idea!     And  the  marchese " 

"  Oh  !"  broke  in  Eliza,  lifting  her  hands  and  eyes 
towards  heaven,  and  beginning  to  shiver,  "  Oh,  after  that 
nothing  will  ever  surprise  me  !  But  you  don't  mean  it. 
He  wouldn't — he  hasn't " 

"Hasn't  what,  in  the  name  of  goodness?" 

"  Yet  why  need  I  be  surprised  ?  Those  Italians — one  is 
never  safe  !  But,  for  Nina's  sake — poor  Nina  ! — oh  !  I  hope 
he  hasn't " 

"What  do  you  mean?"  cried  Violet.  "Speak  out. 
You  quite  make  one's  flesh  creep." 

"  Creep  !  yes  indeed  !  The  wickedness  of  these  Floren- 
tines is  enough  !  I  need  not  wonder  ;  and  yet — and  yet — 
oh,  try  to  think  you  were  mistaken  !  He  hasn't " 

"  Yes  !"  shouted  Violet  in  desperation.  "  Now  are  you 
satisfied  ?  If  so,  try  to  become  sane  and  talk  of  something 
else." 

"  Oh  !"  ejaculated  Eliza  anew,  "  I  knew  he  would,  sooner 
or  later — I  expected  it — I  warned  you  !"  she  added,  with 
the  resignation  of  a  person  who,  after  enduring  suspense 
for  months,  feels  a  certain  sensation  of  relief  when  the  blow 
falls.  "  Those  dreadful  Italians — all  alike  !  Poor  Nina — 
his  wretched  wife  !  My  dear,  I'll  break  it  to  her  if  you 
think  she  ought  to  be  told.  I  will  not  shrink  from  duty, 
however  painful.  I  will  not  desert  you,  my  poor  darling  !" 

"  Well,  that's  kind  of  you,  at  all  events." 

"  And  he  has — he  has  !  I  thought  you  looked  pale — no 
wonder  !  You  are  right  to  leave  the  house.  Oh,  if  you 


SHE    ACCUSED    HERSELF.  135 

had  only  gone  before  ! — it  is  too  late  now  to  prevent  what 
has  happened " 

"  Suppose  you  tell  me  what  that  is  ?"  asked  Violet. 

"  You  said  the  marchese  had  been  making  love  to  you  ! 
If  you  told  it  as  a  jest,  then  I  can  only  say  I  think  it  very 
unbecoming  and  indelicate  to  joke  upon  such  matters  !" 
cried  Eliza,  angrily,  as  Violet's  peals  of  laughter  warned 
her  that  she  had  misunderstood  the  state  of  the  case. 

"  Poor  Carlo,  I  am  sure  he  would  think  it  a  great  hard- 
ship," Violet  said,  as  soon  as  she  could  speak.  "Now, 
Eliza,  rein  in  your  vestal  imagination  for  the  rest  of  the 
day  ;  it  really  is  too  brilliant  for  anybody  but  a  sensational 
novel-writer  to  own." 

"  I  think  you  are  very  unkind,  Violet.  I  know  you 
don't  mean  to  be,  but  you  always  forget  how  sensitive  I 
am  !  You  are  so  heedless,  so  unreflecting,  so " 

"  Young  !"  added  Violet,  with  mocking  emphasis. 
"  Don't  leave  out  that  item  in  the  count  !  And  now  let  us 
go  down  to  breakfast.  Mind  you  stand  by  me,  for  Nina 
will  be  outrageous  and  try  to  keep  me  ;  but  I  must  go — I 
really  must  ;  I  do  so  want  to  get  home  !" 

"  Something  has  happened,  I  am  sure  of  it  !"  cried  the 
spinster. 

"  Something  will  if  you  don't  stop  teasing  me,"  returned 
Violet,  laughing  again.  "  I  shall,  certainly  do  you  a  mis- 
chief, my  blessed  Eliza,  before  my  ill-spent  existence  comes 
to  an  end — I  know  I  shall  ;  I  feel  it  looming  in  the  future, 
as  the  poets  say." 

Then  Eliza  laughed  too,  and  felt  greatly  relieved — she 
always  did  after  having  made  a  scene;  and  luckily,  by  al- 
lowing her  that  privilege  now  and  then,  during  the  rest  of 
the  time  she  managed  to  conduct  herself  with  very  toler- 
able equanimity,  and  was  not,  in  reality,  taking  the  year 
together,  more  trouble  or  annoyance  to  Miss  Cameron  than 
any  human  creature  must  be  who  is  flung  on  one's  hands 
the  twelve  months  in  and  out,  even  though  that  segment  of 
humanity  had  a  genius  equal  to  Michael  Angelo's,  or  a  face 
as  pretty  as  Madame  le  Brun's  portrait,  painted  by  her  own 
partial  brush. 

Violet  expected  the  marchesa  to  be  horridly  indignant 
over  her  departure — perhaps  uncomfortably  curious  as  to 
its  cause  ;  but  nothing  ever  happens  as  one  anticipates. 


136  THE    ARABIC     LESSONS. 

Carlo  had  brought  news  that  the  workmen  had  at  last 
left  Casa  Magnoletti  free. 

"  So  we  shall  flit  ourselves  immediately,"  Nina  said  ; 
"  and  therefore  I  forgive  your  desertion,  Violet." 

"  Going  to-day,  Miss  Cameron  !"  cried  Aylmer,  dole- 
fully. 

"  Going  !"  repeated  the  professor,  saving  her  the  trouble 
of  reply,  "  and  so  are  you,  young  idler  !  You  are  to  get  to 
work  ;  I  have  plenty  cut  "and  dried,  and  came  on  purpose 
to  carry  you  back  to  it." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   AEABIC    LESSONS. 

TSS  CAMERON  returned  home,  and  amid  the 
plenitude  of  sage  resolves  which  she  indulged 
at  this  period,  determined  that  she  would  no 
longer  consume  so  many  hours  in  idle  visits  and 
amusement. 


On  the  way  to  town  she  admitted  the  professor  into  her 
confidence,  and  consulted  him  upon  the  feasibility  of  «tudy- 
ing  Arabic  as  an  employment  which  could  not  come  under 
the  head  of  frivolous  recreation.  He  encouraged  the  idea 
because  he  was  to  be  her  teacher,  though  he  knew  as  well 
as  she  that  the  whim  would  only  prove  a  means  for  wasting 
his  time  and  hers  ;  but  with  the  usual  determined  blindness 
of  humanity,  he  no  more  admitted  the  fact  to  himself  than 
Violet  allowed  her  motives  and  feelings  to  stare  her  in  the 
face  without  some  vail  of  pretense  flung  across  their 
features. 

The  professor  grew  enthusiastic  over  her  plan,  and 
endeavored  to  discover  numerous  benefits  certain  to  accrue 
therefrom.  He  labored  so  hard  and  failed  so  ignomin- 
iously,  that  Violet  at  last  burst  out  laughing,  and  the  pro- 
fessor laughed  as  heartily  as  she,  while  Eliza  Bronson 
looked  severe  disapproval  of  their  levity. 

"I  can  see  nothing  ludicrous  in  the  project  of  serious 


THE    ARABIC     LESSONS.  137 

study,"  she  said  ;  "  and  I  do  not  know,  Violet,  whether  I 
am  most  surprised  at  you  or  the  professor." 

"  I  am  as  serious  as  the  grave,"  began  Violet,  but  Eliza 
lifted  her  hands  to  enjoin  silence. 

"  Do  not  be  profane,"  she  cried  with  a  shudder  ;  "  do 
not !" 

The  professor  bounced  in  delight — no  other  word  can 
serve,  savant  though  he  was — he  bounced,  and  Violet  nodded 
her  head  in  responsive  enjoyment,  while  Eliza  stared  coldly 
upon  them,  and  presently  observed  with  tine  disdain  : 

"  As  you  are  not  Chinese  mandarins  strung  on  wires, 
but  reasonable,  rational  human  beings " 

"Not  I,  at  least,"  interrupted  Violet. 

"  With  immortal  souls,"  pursued  Eliza,  impressively. 

"  Not  proven  !"  broke  in  the  professor.  "  We  are  sim- 
ply, my  dear,  dearest  Miss  Bronson,  huge  masses  or 
agglomerations  of  molecules." 

"  Violet,  stop  the  carriage  !"  shrieked  Eliza.  "  I'll  walk 
— I'll  walk  every  step  of  the  way  from  here  to  the  city 
gates,  rather  than  be  exposed  to  listen  to  such  horrible 
theories  !  After  the  escape  we  have  had — when  the  very 
ceiling  fell  as  a  warning,  to  hear  him  talk  like  this  !" 

"  Ach,  mem  G-ott !  now  she  accuses  me  and  my  heresies 
of  causing  that  disaster,"  exclaimed  the  professor,  with  a 
hypocritical  attempt  at  a  groan. 

"  Sir,"  said  Eliza,  "  I  accuse  you  of  nothing — I  leave 
that  to  your  conscience " 

"  No  well-organized  animal  has  one,"  interposed  the 
professor. 

"  And  your  Maker !"  added  Eliza,  in  a  sepulchral 
whisper.  "  Beware,  Doctor  Schmidt,  beware  !" 

"  Potztaitsend ' !  "  gasped  the  professor. 

"  Spare  me  the  coarse  horror  of  those  Teutonic  oaths," 
said  Eliza,  with  majesty.  "  For  many  yeai's  an  instructress 
of  the  young — a  position  which  I  trust  I  held  with  credit 
to  myself,  with  good  effect  upon  others " 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  cut  in  the  professor. 

"  I  became  (if  you  will  hear  me  out),"  pursued  Eliza — 
"  I  became  too  conversant  with  the  harsh  intricacies  of 
your  native  tongue,  not  to  comprehend  those  expressions 
which,  alas  !  are  only  too  redundant  in  your  language — too 
ordinarily  on  the  lips  of  mej?  who  ought,  from  their  talents 
and  position,  to  be  models " 


138  THE    ARABIC     LESSONS. 

"  Sapperment  /"  faltered  the  professor,  shrinking  into  a 
corner  of  the  carriage. 

"  Like  you,"  continued  Eliza,  following  up  her  advan- 
tage. 

"  Then,  if  I  am  a  model,  that  enough." 

"  As  you  ought  to  be,"  cried  Eliza,  making  the  sentence 
all  capitals  by  her  energy. 

"  And  is  not,"  said  Violet ;  "  so,  my  dear,  the  professor 
and  I  will  return  to  Arabia,  and  settle  about  the  hours  for 
our  wanderings  there." 

Eliza  pulled  her  vail  over  her  face,  leaned  back  in  her 
seat,  and  withdrew  her  attention  from  all  mundane  matters 
and  sinful  triflers,  sporting  recklessly  on  the  verge  of  the 
abyss,  which  was  the  good  spinster's  favorite  appellation 
for  the  mystery-shrouded  existence  beyond  this  earthly 
sphere. 

The  first  decisive  step  Miss  Cameron  took,  in  accordance 
with  her  resolution  to  waste  less  time,  was  to  deny  her- 
self to  Giulia  da  Rimini. 

"  She  is  at  home,  and  he  is  with  her !"  thought  the 
Sicilian.  "  Only  wait !  I  will  punish  her  for  her  insolence 
before  three  months  go  by — only  wait  !" 

The  flash  in  her  black  eyes  so  startled  her  footman,  as 
he  stood  at  the  carriage-door  awaiting  further  orders,  that 
he  afterwards  told  the  coachman  he  would  rather  break 
stones  on  the  highway  in  a  galley-slave's  dress  than  call 
himself  Duca  da  Rimini,  so  long  as  that  fiery-orbed  dame 
lived  to  bear  the  title  of  duchess,  though  Alps  and  Apen- 
nines and  all  the  other  mountain-ranges  of  Europe  might 
tower  between  him  and  her. 

Violet  insisted  upon  commencing  her  Arabic  studies 
without  delay,  but,  to  her  astonishment,  when  the  professor 
appeared  on  the  appointed  morning,  he  came  accompanied 
by  a  second  pupil — no  less  a  person  than  Mr.  Laurence 
Aylraer. 

"I  had  already  promised  to  give  this  ignorant  fellow 
some  lessons.  I  can't  afford  to  waste  time  over  two  sepa- 
rate scholars — you  must  just  stumble  on  together,"  the 
professor  explained,  with  an  easy  assurance  which  quite 
took  Violet's  breath  away — with  such  dogged  determina- 
tion, too,  in  face  and  voice,  that  in  any  case  she  could 
hardly  have  ventured  to  question  his  dictum. 

"  I  expect  speedily  to  grow  so  Oriental  that  I  shall  talk 


THE    ARABIC     LESSONS.  139 

in  hexameters,  or  whatever  may  be  the  Eastern  equivalent 
for  that  unpleasant  form  of  verse,"  said  Laurence,  so  far 
from  making  any  excuse  for  the  liberty  the  professor  had 
taken  in  presenting  him,  that  he  seemed  to  Violet  triumph- 
ant ;  as  if  he  had  managed  to  thwart  her  in  some  way,  and, 
for  the  life  of  her  she  could  not  help  coloring  under  his 
glance,  though  she  felt  vexed  with  him  and  -herself  there- 
for. 

"I  hope  Mr.  Aylmer  is  willing  to  begin  with  first  prin- 
ciples," said  she,  opening  at  random  the  book  nearest 
to  her  hand. 

"  At  the  very  alphabet,  and  to  work  his  way  up  step  by 
step,"  replied  Laurence,  with  an  odd  ring  in  his  voice. 

This  time  she  would  not  so  much  as  look  towards  him  ; 
she  had  no  desire  to  see  the  significance  of  his  speech 
accentuated  by  the  light  of  those  dangerous  eyes. 

The  professor  glanced  at  each  in  turn  from  under  his 
shaggy  brows. 

"  Humph  !"  said  he.  "  One  strange  language  at  a  time. 
I  am  here  to  teach  you  Arabic — don't  exercise  your  wits 
before  me  in  a  tongue  that  I  cannot  understand." 

After  this  speech  a  silence  came  upon  his  two  pupils, 
and  he  took  advantage  of  it  to  expound  his  peculiar  theories 
as  to  the  way  in  which  Oriental  languages  should  be  stud- 
ied ;  proved  conclusively  that  anybody  who  could  not  ac- 
quire them  with  great  facility,  in  a  very  brief  space  of  time, 
by  pursuing  his  original  method,  must  be  a  dolt ;  and 
wound  up  by  informing  the  pair  that  he  did  not  expect 
either  to  do  him  or  his  system  any  credit,  though  it  would 
undoubtedly  be  the  fault  of  their  powers  of  application,  and 
not  of  their  brains. 

Then,  without  rhyme  or  reason,  he  glared  anew  at  the 
pair  ;  then  he  ejaculated,  in  a  growl  like  that  of  a  hungry 
lion  : 

"  Sapperment /"  and  neither  of  his  scholars  asked  him 
what  he  meant,  or  what  had  caused  the  unseemly  outburst. 
Violet  had  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  trimmings  of  her  gown,  as 
if  counting  the  threads  in  the  fringe  ;  and  Aylmer  was 
finding  difficulty  in  settling  his  arm-chair  at  a  proper  angle 
as  to  the  table,  and  the  professor  glared  in  vain. 

"  So  !"  said  he,  and  flung  open  a  volume  with  a  bang. 
"Begin, "you  male  pupil,  because  it  is  a  masculine  right, 
and  it  is  only  a  false,  unnatural  and  depraved  state  of  soci- 


140  THE    ARABIC     LESSONS. 

ety  which  has  given  rise  to  the  habit  of  offering  precedence, 
out  of  a  mawkish  sentimentality  styled  courtesy,  to  the 
female  animal.  Begin,  I  say  !" 

And  his  pupil  meekly  obeyed. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  chuckled  the  professor,  when  the 
lesson  was  finished,  "  I  take  great  credit  for  my  power  of 
discipline,  and  I  must  say  you  certainly  seem  inclined  to 
prove  yourselves  prize  scholars  in  point  of  obedience." 

And  this  time  Violet,  feeling  Aylmer's  eyes  upon  her, 
did  not  hesitate  to  glance  towards  him  and  to  return  his 
smile,  which  thereupon  grew  so  joyous  that  her  trouble- 
some conscience  immediately  began  to  reproach  her  for 
having  already  failed  in  the  letter  as  well  as  spirit  of  the 
bond  she  had  signed  and  sealed  with  Wisdom,  leaving  the 
regulation  of  her  conduct  entirely  in  the  guidance  of  that 
goddess. 

About  a  fortnight  later,  Violet  received  a  letter  from 
America  announcing  Mrs.  Danvers's  death — news  for  which 
previous  epistles  had  prepared  her.  The  date  of  Mary's 
sailing  was  not  fixed.  A  friend  in  New  York,  with  whom 
she  was  now  stopping,  would  make  the  voyage  with  her,  so 
her  cousin  would  have  no  reason  for  anxiety,  but  at  present 
Mrs.  Forrester  found  it  impossible  to  name  the  day  for 
starting. 

The  weeks  went  by  ;  autumn  waned  ;  December  came, 
but  the  weather  retained  its  amiability,  and  there  was  not 
even  a  suggestion  of  ice  or  Tramontana  in  the  air. 

It  seemed  to  Violet  that  she  lived  more  quickly  during 
this  period  than  in  her  whole  previous  life — lived  so  much 
and  so  far,  that  often  she  had  to  count  the  weeks  day  by 
day  in  order  to  satisfy  herself  that  they  were  so  few  :  yet 
even  after  doing  this  and  being  numerically  convinced,  the 
sense  of  time — of  a  great  length  of  time  having  passed 
since  her  return  to  Florence — remained  as  strong  as  ever. 
Pleasant,  pleasant  weeks,  save  when  now  and  then  she 
roused  up  to  fear  that  she  regarded  life  less  practically  than 
she  ought,  but  finding  always  excuses  wherewith  to  con- 
tent reason,  with  whom  she  still  regarded  herself  as  on  the 
most  intimate  terras. 

The  Arabic  studies  speedily  sank  into  a  farce,  whose 
name  neither  professor  nor  scholars  had  the  assurance  to 
mention,  though  the  lessons  continued,  and  formed  an  ex- 
cuse for  many  delightful  hours.  Often  the  teacher  would 


THE    ARABIC     LESSONS.  141 

fail  to  appear,  or  would  come  very  late,  giving  as  a  plea 
that  he  bad  been  occupied  and  forgot.  But  Miss  Cameron's 
fellow-pupil  never  forgot ;  he  was  always  punctual  to  the 
moment,  and  Eliza  Bronson,  who,  with  her  habit  of  taking 
things  seriously,  believed  in  the  lessons  and  several  times 
presented  herself  as  a  spectator,  was  so  edified  by  the  dili- 
gence with  which  during  her  visits  Mr.  Aylmer  studied  the 
big  books  with  their  mysterious  characters,  that  she  felt 
confident  of  his  rapid  progress,  and  convulsed  the  professor 
by  declaring  that  she  had  known  from  the  first  he  would 
possess  great  capabilities  for  the  language. 

"  By  the  shape  of  his  head  ?"  suggested  the  savant. 

"No,"  said  Eliza  ;  "  I  have  relinquished  phrenology  as 
a  failure,  so  have  all  thinking  people.  I  am  surprised  you 
should  betray  any  faith  therein,  professor — yon,  who  have 
so  little  to  spare." 

"  For  that  reason  I  cultivate  it  whenever  I  can,"  said 
the  professor. 

"By  the  shape  of  his  nose,"  pursued  Eliza,  regardless  of 
the  savant's  mild  attempt  at  exultation.  "  I  tried  to  get 
you  to  read  that  interesting  pamphlet  in  regard  to  the  ex- 
pression of  noses,  but  you  would  not.  Now,  Mr.  Aylrner's 
nose  is  as  purely  Arabian  as  if  he  were  an  Arab,  and  so " 

"  Is  a  second-hand  clothes-dealing  Jew's,"  added  the 
cruel  professor. 

He  had  great  difficulty  to  make  his  peace  with  Miss 
Bronson  after  this  offensive  speech  ;  any  remark  which 
militated  against  Mr.  Aylmer's  superhuman  excellence, 
physical,  mental  and  moral,  being  a  positive  crime  in  her 
eyes. 

It  would  be  useless  to  deny  that  learning  Violet  Cam- 
eron's age  had  given  Laurence  Aylmer  a  certain  shock : 
no  man  could  discover  that  he  loved  a  woman  so  much  his 
senior  and  not  feel  the  situation  an  anomaly. 

"  Why,  when  I  was  forty  she  would  be  almost  fifty  ;  a 
man  is  young  still  at  forty.  Marrying  a  person  older  than 
himself  would  seem  like  choosing  a  guardian  instead  of  a 
wife  !" 

So  his  thoughts  ran  on  several  occasions,  but  were 
always  speedily  checked  by  the  reminder  that  he  had  no 
reason  to  suppose  Miss  Cameron  would  ever  dream  of  wed- 
ding him.  In  his  penitence  he  said  bitter  things  against 
his  own  conceit,  unjustly  too,  for  he  was  far  from  that  com- 


143  THE    ARABIC     LESSONS. 

monest  form  of  masculine  vanity — the  belief  that  every 
woman  who  smiled  at  him  must  be  his  incurable  victim, 
and  that  he  needed  only  to  mention  marriage  to  the  Venus 
di  Medici  to  transform  her  at  once  to  flesh  and  blood,  and 
cause  her  to  descend  from  her  pedestal  as  meek  and  obe- 
dient as  an  odalisque  gratefully  stooping  to  pick  up  her 
sultan's  pocket-handkerchief. 

Indeed,  those  reminders  of  her  age  speedily  faded  ;  the 
thing  simply  seemed  impossible  in  the  presence  of  her 
fresh  loveliness.  He  perceived,  too,  that  in  feeling  she  was 
as  youthful  as  in  her  face  ;  younger  far  than  he,  for  his 
somewhat  morbid,  reserved  temperament  had  given  him 
opinions  and  habits  of  thought  more  like  those  of  a  person 
who  had  passed  the  meridian  of  life  than  of  one  still  so 
distant  from  that  era. 

Day  by  day  his  love  for  Violet  grew  the  ruling  power 
in  his  soul,  and  he  knew  that  there  had  come  to  him  an 
affection  which  must  be  as  lasting  as  existence  itself. 

He  loved  her,  and  chafed  restlessly  under  the  restraints 
which  she  managed  to  put  upon  their  intercourse.  She 
treated  him  like  a  valued  friend  both  in  public  and  private, 
but  frequently  as  he  saw  her  alone,  she  contrived,  with  a 
tact  few  even  of  her  sex  could  have  shown,  to  keep  their 
conversation  aloof  from  dangerous  subjects,  to  prevent 
any  avowal  in  words. 

His  eyes  told  his  story  plainly  enough,  however — those 
beautiful  eyes,  whose  passionate  utterances  made  her  heart 
thrill  tumultuously — whose  light  haunted  her  in  lonely 
hours,  often  weakening  her  wise  resolves  till  she  was  ready 
to  believe  she  wronged  him  in  calling  his  love  a  mere 
fancy,  making  her  weep  sometimes  over  her  lost  youth,  and 
causing  her  to  repeat  that  bitter  complaint : 

"  Everything  comes  too  late  !  Life  is  cruel  to  me — very 
cruel  !" 


ANNOUNCED—  "MISS    DANVER8"  143 

CHAPTER  XV. 
ANNOUNCED — "MISS   DANVERS." 

HE  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  brightened  the 
room  where  Violet  Cameron  sat  idle  and  medi- 
tative after  a  long  morning  given  up  to  visitors. 
Nobody  else  was  likely  to  appear  at  this 
hour.  Miss  Bronson  had  gone  to  her  own 
apartments,  believing  she  told  the  truth  when  she  an- 
nounced her  intention  of  reading  a  sermon  by  way  of  a 
little  improving  occupation,  so  as  not  to  feel  that  mere 
mundane  matters  had  wholly  engrossed  her  day.  In  reality, 
she  went  to  enjoy  a  short  nap,  but  the  tortures  of  the  In- 
quisition could  not  have  forced  her  to  admit  even  mentally 
that  she  was  capable  of  giving  way  to  such  a  weakness  of 
the  flesh,  wasting  any  of  the  precious  spare  moments  which 
ought  to  be  devoted  to  "  improving  the  time" — a  phrase 
often  on  her  lips. 

So  Violet,  left  to  solitude,  yielded  without  scruple  to 
the  luxurious  indolence  which  crept  over  her,  and  let  her 
fancies  wander  whither  they  would,  unconscious  that  in 
these  days  she  indulged  herself  more  and  more  in  the  vis- 
ionary habit  which  only  a  few  weeks  previous  she  had 
assured  reason  she  was  determined  to  relinquish.  Had  she 
been  roused  suddenly  she  could  not  have  told  the  subject 
of  her  reverie.  A  thousand  vague  thoughts  flitted  like 
strains  of  music  through  her  soul  ;  hosts  of  events  con- 
nected with  the  past  autumn,  unimportant  yet  strangely 
sweet,  wove  themselves  like  soft  rhymes  into  the  melody, 
and  not  a  measure  but  held  some  reference  to  the  friend 
linked  so  closely  with  all  the  pleasant  recollections  of  this 
season — her  friend  Laurence,  as  she  called  him  always  in 
her  reflections — the  very  title  a  safeguard  against  any  im- 
portunate warning  from  conscience  or  common-sense. 

Antonio  abruptly  flung  Aylmer's  name  across  the  idle 
sweetness  of  her  reverie.  It  so  often  happened  that  he  ap- 
peared at  similar  junctures  that  occasionally  Violet  was 
almost  startled  by  the  coincidence — only  almost,  for  even 
if  one  were  unpractical  enough  to  admit  the  idea  that  some 


144  ANNOUNCED—  "MISS    DANVERS." 

subtle  magnetism  of  thought  brought  the  coincidence  about, 
it  would  only  be  a  proof  of  the  sympathy  which  must  exist 
between  two  minds  in  order  to  render  friendship  perfect, 
and  that  this  their  intercourse  was,  and  was  to  remain, 
Violet  had  so  thoroughly  impressed  upon  her  soul  that  very 
rarely  did  any  troublesome  doubt  intrude. 

And  he  entered  now,  eager  and  glad,  through  all  con- 
ventional calm  of  manner  ;  she  glad  too — right  and  fitting 
surely  on  his  part  and  hers,  since  he  was  her  friend — her 
friend  Laurence. 

"  Is  it  past  all  decent  hours  for  a  morning  visit  ?"  he 
asked,  as  he  sat  down  opposite  her,  after  paying  the  first 
salutations. 

"  Entirely  !  Well-regulated  people  are  beginning  to 
think  of  their  dinners." 

"  But  I  am  not  well  regulated." 

"It  is  fortunate  Miss  Bronson  does  not  hear.  You 
would  risk  your  lofty  place  in  her  esteem  by  such  a  humili- 
ating confession." 

"  Well,  then,  I  forgot  it  was  so  late.     Would  that  excuse 
satisfy  her  ?" 

"  I  am  afraid  not  ;  it  is  so  palpably  an  after-thought 
that  even  my  credulous  Eliza  would  not  be  deceived." 

"  Then  it  is  better  to  take  refuge  in  trutn,"  said  he.  "I 
waited  on  purpose  till  I  was  certain  everybody  would  be 
gone.  One  never  gets  a  chance  to  speak  to  you  when  you 
have  a  crowd  of  people  about." 

"  What  a  shocking  accusation  !  A  good  hostess  can 
make  each  of  her  guests,  no  matter  how  many  she  may 
have,  feel  himself  especially  noticed." 

"  I  fear  I  am  dull  to-day — not  equal  to  social  require- 
ments," said  he. 

"  The  idea  of  paying  visits  in  such  a  mood  !  I  expect 
people  to  amuse  me." 

"  You  don't  look  in  a  humor  for  it  ;  I  saw  that  as  I 
came  in." 

"Pray  how  did  Hook?" 

"  Like  a  Sybil — like  some  priestess  of  Apollo " 

"  Oh,  worse  and  worse  !  Miss  Bronson  would  give  you 
up  in  despair  !  Even  moderate  exaggeration  is  distasteful 
to  her — but  this  !  Besides,  she  considers  any  reference  to 
the  heathens  or  their  deities  highly  indecorous,  not  to  sav 

•      1  1     *«  °          •  w 

wicked." 


ANNOUNCED— "  MIS3    DANVERS."  145 

"How  lucky  she  is  absent!  In  ray  present  state  of 
mind  I  should  be  certain  to  ruin  myself  hopelessly,"  he 
answered  ;  but  the  smile  on  his  lips  belied  his  regret  so 
expressively,  and  the  light  in  his  eyes  grew  so  dangerous, 
that  Violet  wished  the  spinster  were  there.  She  perceived 
that  he  was  in  one  of  the  moods  which  would  recur  in  spite 
of  her  prudence,  when  he  became  difficult  to  manage — 
moods  which  disturbed  temporarily  the  conviction  she  in- 
sisted upon  considering  settled,  that  no  vagrant  fancies 
were  to  trouble  the  even  tenor  of  their  friendship. 

"  Ah,  you  admitted  you  felt  dull,"  said  Violet,  catching 
quickly  at  any  advantage  ;  "I  think  Eliza  would  not  con- 
demn that  severely.  She  has  great  patience  with  dull 
books,  why  not  dull  people  ?" 

"  You  mean  to  impress  my  unlucky  choice  of  a  word  on 
me — three  times  in  that  one  sentence  !" 

"  Good  gracious  !  do  you  wish  to  insinuate  that  I  am 
dull  too  ?" 

"Even  my  blankest  stupidity  could  not  carry  me  to 
such  a  point.  Sometimes  I  wish  you  were  ;  you  would  not 
be  so  quick  to  flay  and  scarify  every  little  truth  that  uttera 
itself  in  spite  of  me." 

"  What  a  quantity  of  long  phrases  !  And  it  is  not  the 
truth  I  find  fault  with — scarify,  as  you  poetically  term  it — 
only  that  bad  habit  you  will  not  cure  of  paying  exaggerated 
compliments.  I  have  told  you  over  and  over  that  such 
nonsense  between  friends  was  unnecessary." 

"  I  didn't  think  you  would  call  speaking  from  my  heart 
nonsense,"  said  he,  rushing  on  forbidden  ground  at  once — 
assuming,  too,  the  purely  masculine  privilege  in  such  an 
encounter,  of  seeming  hurt  by  her  levity  or  indifference  ; 
let  a  woman  feel  as  deeply  as  she  may,  her  sense  of  woman- 
ly dignity  must  prevent  her  employing  that  weapon. 
"  Say  a  liberty — an  impertinence,  if  you  will — but  not 
nonsense." 

"  We  won't  quarrel  over  mere  words,"  returned  Violet, 
pleasantly,  with  the  comfortable  assurance  of  being  mis- 
tress of  herself  and  the  situation. 

"Excuse  me,  but  it  is  a  question  of  feelings,  not 
words  !"  cried  he,  with  another  dangerous  flash  from  his 
eyes,  which  shook  her  confidence  as  to  the  ease  with  which 
she  should  keep  the  ice  of  conventionalities  unbroken — 
nay,  worse  still,  brought  a  swift  fear  that  she  had  too 
7 


146  ANNOUNCED—  "MISS    DANVEB8.n 

hastily  exulted  at  her  victory  over  the  image  in  the  mir- 
ror. "  Only  listen — only  let  me  explain  !" 

"  Compfiments  do  not  need  explanation,"  returned  she, 
holding  fast  desperately  to  that  signification  for  his  utter- 
ances. "  A  woman  who  has  seen  as  many  seasons  as  I,  and 
heard  as  much  persiflage  talked,  does  not  hold  a  man  au 
pied  de  la  lettre  for  every  poetical  speech  in  which  he  may 
think  gallantry  compels  him  to  indulge." 

"  That  is  unkind  !"  said  he. 

"  Come,  I'll  not  acknowledge  it !  If  you  had  said  un- 
civil, I  might  have  owned  you  were  right,  but  unkindness 
implies  an  intention  to  wound.  I  am  sure  I  don't  wish  to 
punish  your  bad  habit  of  paying  compliments  so  severely." 

"  Compliments  !  How  you  insist  on  using  that  word, 
when  you  know  it  is  utterly  misplaced  ;  unwise,  too,  con- 
sidering your  stand-point." 

"How  unwise?"  she  asked,  and  realized  that  she  had 
given  him  an  advantage,  but  the  question  was  uttered. 

"  Because  such  very  determined  affecting  to  believe 
everything  I  say  persiflage,  looks  almost  as  if  you  were 
afraid  of  recognizing  my  earnestness,  and  you  know " 

She  knew  what  he  was  going  to  say  ;  another  instant, 
?nd  he  would  hurry  on  in  passionate  speech,  which  would 
effectually  destroy  the  guise  of  friendship  to  which  she 
had,  with  so  much  trouble,  confined  their  relations.  She 
knew  it  ;  the  delicious  utterances  thrilled  her  as  if  already 
pronounced,  but  prevent  their  expression  she  must. 

"  You  are  right,"  she  said  ;  "  I  am  afraid  !" 

"Violet !"  he  exclaimed,  speaking  her  name  for  the  first 
time — a  passionate  joy  breaking  out  in  face  and  voice. 
He  made  a  quick  movement  to  seize  her  hands,  which  were 
resting  upon  the  table  before  her.  She  did  not  remove 
them  out  of  his  reach,  but  she  clasped  them  hard  together 
till  they  looked  cold  and  firm  in  the  shadowy  room  as  two 
sculptured  hands,  while  something  in  her  eyes,  $s  she 
looked  full  at  him,  prevented  his  carrying  out  his  inten- 
tion, though  again  her  name  broke  from  his  lips  :  "  Violet !" 

"  Let  me  speak,"  she  said,  outwardly  calm,  in  spite  of 
her  agitation.  "  Yes,  I  am  afraid— I  will  tell  you  why.  I 
do  not  wish  to  lose  my  friend — I  do  not  wish  to  have  our 
pleasant  intimacy  (so  very  pleasant  to  me)  disturbed  ;  and 
this  must  happen  if  he  will  not  remember  that  any  ap- 
proach to  flirtation  on  the  part  of  a  woman  of  my  age 


ANNOUNCED— "  MISS    DANVERS."  147 

would  be  as  unworthy  her,  as  any  brief  fancy  on  his  for  a 
person  years  older  than  himself  would  be  misplaced  and 
unnatural." 

She  spoke  the  words  very  slowly,  very  composedly ; 
but  oh,  they  hurt,  they  hurt,  in  spite  of  her  strength  and 
courage  ! 

"  Oh,  all  that " 

"  Is  truth  and  common-sense,"  she  interrupted  smiling. 
"  So  now  let  us  be  sensible,  my  friend — Laurence." 

And  she  spoke  his  name  too  for  the  first  time.  If  a 
voice  from  the  portals  of  heaven  had  called  bidding  him 
enter,  the  tones  could  not  have  sounded  more  entrancing  to 
his  ear.  Every  effort  she  made  to  break  his  chains  only 
riveted  them  closer. 

"  So  we  will  get  back  to  the  regions  of  common-sense 
and  stay  there,"  she  continued  before  he  could  speak,  smil- 
ing at  him  still,  even  while  her  heart  shivered  and  ached  as 
if  she  were  pressing  a  weight  of  ice  down  upon  it.  "  Re- 
member, if  you  talk  in  a  way  to  make  me  feel  silly,  I  shall 
think  it  is  because  I  have  been  trying  to  affect  the  graces 
of  a  young  girl,  and  so  be  obliged  to  despise  myself  at 
almost  thirty-four ;  recollect,  Laurence,  almost  thirty- 
four  !" 

He  dared  not  continue  —  he  knew  that  he  should 
receive  his  dismissal  then  and  there  if  he  did  ;  yet  to  let 
himself  be  so  effectually  checked  was  not  only  painful,  but 
irritating. 

"  You  are  hard — hard  !"  he  exclaimed,  wisely  taking 
refuge  in  an  affectation  of  petulance  which  would  afford 
her  an  opportunity  to  pretend  to  think  it  only  his  man's 
vanity  she  had  wounded.  "  I  wish  I  were  ill  again — I  wish 
I  had  never  got  well  !" 

"  Upon  my  word  !" 

"  I  do  !  You  were  kind  then.  Ah,  I  dare  say  you  have 
forgotten  ;  but  I  remember  everything — the  slightest  detail 
— even  to  that  day  when  you  laid  the  flowers  on  my 
pillow." 

How  stupid  she  had  been  not  to  tell  him  the  truth  long 
before  !  Yet  perhaps  it  was  fortunate  after  all  that  she 
had  not — it  would  come  with  more  force  now. 

"  I  have  never  forgiven  the  professor  for  robbing  me," 
he  added. 


148  FROM     AMERICA. 

"  You  could  easily  have  had  more  from  the  same  quar- 
ter," said  she,  laughing. 

"  Why,  you  have  never  so  much  as  given  me  a  rose-bud 
since  !"  retorted  he. 

"  Oh,  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter  !  You  must 
thank  the  Duchess  da  Rimini  !  It  was  she  left  the  jessa- 
mines— romance  is  not  my  forte." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"  Just  what  I  say — romance  is  not " 

"  No — no  !     You  did  not  put  the  flowers  there  ?" 

"  Most  certainly  not !  I  hope  I  am  free  from  prudery, 
still  nothing  but  necessity  would  have  induced  me  to  pay 
you  visits." 

"  And  you  have  let  me  deceive  myself  all  this  time  !" 
he  cried,  with  mingled  anger  and  disappointment. 

"  Really,  I  did  not  suppose  you  recollected  the  poetical 
incident,"  said  she,  laughing  again. 

"  Oh,  you  are  hard  to  me — hard  !"  he  exclaimed,  bit- 
terly. 

But  before  he  could  add  another  word  the  door  opened, 
and  Antonio's  slow,  measured  voice  announced  : 

"  Miss  Danvers  !" 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
PKOM     AMERICA. 

HE    interruption    was    so    unexpected,    Violet's 
thoughts  so  engrossed  by  Aylmer's  words  and 
her  own  efforts  to  keep  the  conversation  upon 
the  safe  ground  of  banal  compliment,  that  for 
a  second  Antonio's  announcement  only  caused 
her  a  vague  sensation  of  wonder,  and   she  repeated  the 
name  in  a  low  tone,  almost  as  if  trying  to  recollect  what 
connection  her  mind  had  therewith  : 
"  Miss  Danvers  !" 

"  From  America,"  added  Antonio,  his  varied  experience 
enabling  him  to  take  in  the  position  at  once.  He  felt  as 
guilty  as  though  he  had  committed  a  willful  sin — more  so, 


FROM     AMERICA.  149 

perhaps,  for  in  Antonio's  peculiar  creed  a  stupidity  was  less 
pardonable  than  a  crime,  and  he  retreated  sorely  crest- 
fallen, thinking,  "  I  deserve  to  be  thrown  down  stairs  !  I 
ought  to  have  remembered,  though  it  is  an  at-home  day, 
there  are  visitors  and  visitors,  and  not  have  intruded  so 
suddenly  when  mademoiselle  was  alone  with  him!" 

Miss  Cameron  and  Ayltner  had  risen  simultaneously  ; 
she  got  her  wits  back  in  a  flash  (at  the  same  time  becoming 
aware  of  a  very  odd  expression  in  Aylrner's  eyes),  and  saw 
the  new-comer  hesitating  near  the  door.  A  young  girl 
dressed  in  deep  mourning,  with  a  heavy  crape  vail,  which 
might  have  befitted  a  widow,  falling  over  her  face,  so  that 
she  was  obliged  to  push  it  back,  and  she  did  so  in  an 
annoyed  fashion.  A  pretty  girl — prettier  than  ever  in  her 
embarrassment,  wherewith  mingled  an  attempt  at  self- 
assertion  which  might  end  in  anger  or  cause  her  to  run 
away  in  a  fright  if  she  were  not  received  in  a  fashion  to 
assure  her  that  her  visit  was  welcome.  But  though  all  this 
showed  so  plainly  in  countenance  and  attitude,  she  appeared 
neither  bold  nor  disagreeably  missish  ;  somehow  she  gave 
the  eifect  of  a  child  playing  at  being  a  woman. 

Violet  hurried  forward,  and  the  little  visitor  cried  : 

"  Oh,  I  have  come  to  see  my  cousin,  Miss  Cameron,  if 
you  will  please  tell  her  !  I  am  Mary  Danvers — if  you  don't 
believe  it  you  can  ask  Mr.  Aylmer  !  He  can  say  who  I  am 
if  he  chooses,  and  not  some  pretender,  though  he  acts  as  if 
he  didn't  remember  me  !  And — and — my  cousin  asked  me 
to  come  !" 

She  looked  inexpressibly  tired  ;  a  burst  of  tears  was 
evidently  imminent,  in  spite  of  her  determination. 

Violet  reached  her  side,  embraced  her  cordially,  and 
placed  her  in  the  nearest  chair,  saying  rapidly  : 

"  My  dear  child,  I  am  delighted  to  see  you  !  You  took 
me  so  by  surprise  that  I  couldn't-  think  at  all  for  a  second. 
I  am  so  very,  very  glad  you  have  got  here  !" 

"  Oh,  thank  you,"  returned  the  other,  in  a  hurried  way, 
rather  shrinking  from  Violet's  caress.  "  If  you  will  please 
tell  my  cousin — Miss  Cameron " 

"  My  dear,  I  am  your  cousin  !"  cried  Violet,  putting 
both  arms  about  her.  "  Welcome,  a  thousand  times  !" 

Mary  Danvers  stared  in  astonishment — almost  incre- 
dulity. 

"  Are  you  Violet  ? — are  you  really  ?"  she  exclaimed. 


150  FROM    AMERICA. 

"  Why,  of  course  I  am  ;  for  whom  do  you  take  me  ?" 
laughed  Miss  Cameron,  pushing  the  heavy  vail  still  farther 
back  from  the  eager,  wondering  face.  "  You  are  tired 
out " 

"  Oh  !  but  I  needn't  be  such  a  goose  !"  broke  in  Mary. 
"  And  to  think  of  ray  not  knowing  you  !  I  thought  you 
would  look  el —  I  mean "  She  stopped  in  confusion. 

"  You  couldn't  know  me  by  instinct,"  >said  Violet,  caress- 
ing her.  "  I  am  so  sorry  there  was  no  one  at  the  station  to 
meet  you  ;  if  you  had  sent  me  word " 

"  Oh  !  weren't  you  expecting  me  ?"  interrupted  Mary 
again.  "  Didn't  you  receive  the  telegram  ?" 

"  No,  indeed  ;  but  never  mind — you  are  here  !" 

"  Oh,  she  sent  one  from  Paris — I  wouldn't  stop — and 
after  all  you  did  not  receive  it  ;  and  to  fall  in  on  you  like 
this  !  Oh  !  I  don't  like  it  !"  cried  the  visitor,  and  it  was 
plain  that  it  required  a  great  effort  to  keep  back  a  sob. 

"  And  who  came  with  you  ?  Of  course  you  did  not 
make  the  journey  alone  ?" 

"  I  told  you  she  sent  a  telegram,"  rejoined  Mary,  in  that 
injured  little  voice,  and  her  chin,  which  she  had  with  much 
difficulty  just  quieted,  began  to  quiver  anew.  "  But  maybe 
she  forgot — she  did  forget  so  ;  and  I  ought  to  have  attended 
to  it  myself  :  but  I  had  such  a  dreadful  headache.  Oh  dear, 
it  is  too  bad  to  have  taken  you  by  surprise  !" 

"  Not  of  the  least  consequence — don't  think  of  it.  You 
have  come,  and  that  is  enough,"  said  Violet,  very  sorry  for 
her,  though  unable  to  repress  a  feeling  that  so  much  con- 
fusion was  misplaced,  even  while  she  appreciated  the  girl's 
efforts  to  overcome  it.  "  You  are  worn  out  by  your  jour- 
ney, poor  dear,  and  that  makes  you  nervous." 

"Yes,  that  is  it,"  assented  Mary,  but  Violet  saw  her 
blue  eyes  wander  towards  Aylmer,  who  stood  waiting  till 
the  first  salutations  between  the  cousins  were  over  before 
he  came  forward  to  renew  his  acquaintance  with  the  younger. 

"  Here  is  some  one  you  know,"  said  Violet.  "  Come 
and  speak  to  her,  Mr.  Aylmer  ;  the  sight  of  a  familiar  face 
will  do  her  good." 

Was  there  something  peculiar  in  the  manner  of  both  ? 
Aylmer,  at  least,  had  recovered  his  usual  demeanor  by  the 
time  he  reached  the  ladies.  He  held  out  his  hand  to  the 
new-comer,  saying  : 


FROM    AMERICA.  151 

"  How  do  you  do,  Miss  Danvers  ?  I  am  very  happy  to 
meet  you  again." 

"Thanks;  you  are  very  good,"  returned  Mary,  primly. 
She  let  him  take  her  hand,  but  quickly  drew  it  away,  and 
said,  looking  at  Violet :  "  I — I  have  not  seen  him  since  be- 
fore poor  papa  died." 

Now  she  sobbed  outright,  but  controlled  herself  in  a 
moment. 

Violet,  anxious  to  change  the  current  of  her  thoughts, 
began  to  speak  of  her  journey.  Aylmer  joined  in  about  its 
fatigues,  and,  as  soon  as  an  opportunity  offered,  added  : 

"  I  will  take  myself  off,  Miss  Cameron,  and  give  you 
and  your  cousin  an  opportunity  to  make  acquaintance.  I 
shall  come  to-morrow,  if  I  may,  to  hear  if  she  finds  herself 
quite  rested." 

"  Yes,  pray  do.  Au  revoir,"  said  Violet,  pleasantly  ; 
but  she  did  not  offer  him  her  hand,  and  Aylmer  noticed  the 
omission. 

"Good-morning,  Miss  Danvers,"  he  continued. 

"  Good-morning,"  Mary  answered,  and  gave  him  another 
of  her  odd  glances,  at  once  mutinous  and  reproachful — like 
a  child  who  feels  that  it  has  suffered  injustice,  and  does  not 
quite  know  what  form  of  defense  it  ought  to  assume  ;  is  a 
little  afraid,  too,  that  its  self-assertion  will  be  laughed  at. 

Aylmer  went  his  way,  divided  between  a  natural  mascu- 
line annoyance  at  the  interruption  of  his  interview  with 
Miss  Cameron  and  the  reflections  which  the  sight  of  George 
Danvers's  daughter  roused  in  his  mind. 

Violet  saw  her  cousin  glance  after  the  retiring  guest, 
and  noticed  that  odd  expression  on  her  face  ;  but  in  the  poor 
child's  present  state,  it  was  impossible  to  decide  whether 
emotion  or  physical  weariness  unnerved  her.  Then,  too, 
this  arrival  in  the  house  of  an  unknown  relative  afforded 
reason  for  a  certain  excitement. 

"And  who  was  your  compagnon  de  voyage  ?"  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  please  don't  speak  French  !"  cried  Mary,  almost 
irritably.  "  It  makes  me  homesick  !  I've  studied  it,  and 
I  can  read  well  enough  ;  but  it  doesn't  sound  a  bit  the 
p:\ine  when  people  talk  it.  Oh,  I  don't  mean  to  be  impo- 
lite, you  know  !" 

"  It  is  just  a  silly  habit  of  mixing  languages  that  per- 
sons living  on  the  Continent  fall  into,"  said  Violet,  rather 
amused  to  hear  how  very  apologetic  her  voice  grew. 


152  FROM     AMERICA. 

"  I  should  not,"  replied  Mary ;  but  she  spoke  so  like  a 
naughty,  willful  child  that  the  words  did  not  sound  rude. 

"  And  who  took  care  of  you  on  the  journey  ?"  asked 
Violet. 

"  Why,  Mrs.  Forrester.  Oh,  you  didn't  get  the  telegram  ! 
It  is  that  makes  it  so  awkward,  and  me  such  a  goose  !  I 
thought  you  would  know  all  about  it,  and  be  expecting 
me." 

"  But  I  am  just  as  glad  to  see  you,  my  dear — a  pleasant 
surprise  is  always  welcome,"  said  Violet,  feeling  ashamed 
because  the  girl's  behavior  rendered  a  little  effort  at  pa- 
tience necessary.  "  Mrs.  Forrester  ?  oh  yes — you  wrote 
me  you  were  to  sail  with  her.  But  I  did  not  think  you 
could  have  reached  Liverpool  yet." 

"  She  changed  her  mind  just  after  I  wrote,  and  we  left 
a  week  before  we  intended,"  said  Mary.  "  I  got  your  dis- 
patch to  say  you  would  send  to  England  to  meet  me — it 
came  the  day  we  sailed  ;  but  Mrs.  Forrester  was  coming 
down  to  Florence,  so  I  did  not  want  to  trouble  you.  I 
might  have  written  from  London,"  she  added,  contritely  ; 
"  but  we  were  so  busy  the  few  days  we  were  there — sight- 
seeing all  the  time — and  she  said  a  telegram  would  do." 

"  Of  course,  my  dear — don't  think  about  it.  But  where 
is  Mrs.  Forrester  ?  why  didn't  she  come  to  the  house,  so 
that  I  might  thank  her  for  taking  care  of  you  ?" 

"That  was  another  thing  that  hurried  us,"  cried  Mary. 
"  The  day  we  left  London  she  got  a  message  from  her 
sister  in  Rome,  who  was  very  ill  ;  and  I  wouldn't  let  her 
lose  any  time  :  so  I  changed  trains  at  Pistoja  and  she  went 
on.  I  knew  I  could  do  well  enough  for  that  little  journey, 
even  if  I  didn't  speak  Italian,  but " 

She  had  got  on  so  easily  in  these  last  speeches  that 
Violet  thought  the  embarrassment  all  over,  and  now  the 
child  suddenly  turned  scarlet,  her  eyes  grew  so  bright  they 
looked  angry,  and  then  the  tears  gathered  in  them  again, 
and  a  fresh  sob  broke  her  voice  ;  but  Mary  struggled  gal- 
lantly for  self-control,  and  once  more  conquered. 

"Lean  back  and  rest  a  little  longer  ;  then  we  will  go  to 
your  room,  and  you  shall  get  your  wraps  off,"  Violet  said 
kindly. 

"  I  am  very  comfortable,  thanks,"  answered  the  small 
personage,  sitting  upright  as  a  dart,  though  too  pretty  and 
slight  for  the  attitude  to  seem  ungraceful. 


FROM     AMERICA.  153 

"  But  you  look  so  tired,"  said  Violet,  for  the  sake  of 
saying  something. 

"  It  doesn't  rest  me  to  loll  in  a  chair,"  replied  Mary, 
still  busy  subduing  her  freshly-returned  excitement;  "I 
like  a  hard  one  best."  As  she  spoke  she  removed  herself 
into  a  straight-backed  mediaeval  affair,  in  which  no  creature 
of  the  present  ease-loving  generation  had  ever  before  been 
known  to  sit. 

This  bit  of  assertion  seemed  to  do  Mary  good,  but  she 
was  still  longing  to  cry,  Violet  perceived,  and  the  fact  kept 
her  from  mentally  styling  her  new  inmate  disagreeable  ; 
odd  enough,  to  be  sure,  but  a  rather  attractive  oddity. 

"Did  you  have  a  good  passage — across  the  Atlantic,  I 
mean  ?  Were  you  sea-sick  ?"  Violet  asked. 

"  Mrs.  Forrester  was  ;  I  never  suffer,"  announced  Mary, 
with  the  air  of  a  veteran  sailor.  Perhaps  Violet's  face  ex- 
pressed a  certain  wonder  as  to  where  she  gained  her  experi- 
ence, for  the  girl  added  quickly,  as  if  her  veracity  had 
been  called  in  doubt,  "  I  went  to  Florida  and  back  by  sea 
when  I  was  a  little  girl,  with  papa." 

Another  sob  here.  Violet  caught  herself  wondering 
how  strange  it  seemed  there  should  be  any  person  to  weep 
over  George  Danvers's  loss  !  He  had  certainly  made  plenty 
of  people  shed  tears  by  his  misdeeds  ;  then  she  felt 
ashamed  of  such  hard-hearted  reflections  in  this  poor  girl's 
presence. 

"You  shall  have  some  tea,"  she  said;  "that  always 
rests  one."  She  rang  the  bell,  and  Antonio  appeared  in  his 
customary  speedy  fashion.  She  gave  her  order,  adding, 
"Everything  is  ready  is  Miss  Danvers's  rooms  ?  Have  her 
boxes  been  carried  up  ?" 

"  Pardon,  mademoiselle,  none  have  come  ;  I  was  about 
to  ask  mademoiselle  if  I  should  send " 

"  Oh,  my  baggage — I  forgot  it  !"  interrupted  Mary, 
springing  out  of  her  chair.  The  recollection  of  an  odious 
adventure  which  she  meant  to  keep  to  herself  checked  fur- 
ther speech.  She  had  hurried  through  the  station,  and 
sprung  precipitately  into  the  nearest  hack,  only  thinking  of 
escape  ;  and  from  that  moment  to  this  had  not  remem- 
bered those  trunks  which  had  weighed  so  heavily  on  her 
mind  during  the  whole  journey.  And  she  could  offer  no 
explanation.  Cousin  Violet  would  believe  her  heedless  and 
silly,  and  conceive  a  prejudice  against  her  ;  but  a  recital  of 


154  FROM    AMERICA, 

the  facts  would  afford  still  stronger  grounds  for  censure. 
Girls  had  no  business  to  meet  with  adventures.  Mary  had 
no  creed  more  firmly  fixed  than  this.  Cousin  Violet  would 
be  shocked — decide  that  she  had  been  ill  brought  up — per- 
haps condemn  her  father  therefor.  A  dread  of  blame  fall- 
ing upon  the  memory  of  her  dead  parent  was  always  her 
first  fear  in  these  days.  She  bad  lived  for  months  in  a 
constant  state  of  watchful  defense,  which  would  have  gone 
far  to  render  a  girl  less  healthy  in  body  and  mind  either 
hopelessly  morbid  or  downright  vixenish. 

And  the  trunks  might  be  lost — stolen  ;  not  only  her 
wardrobe,  but  every  precious  relic  she  possessed,  gone  in  a 
single  fell  swoop.  Did  ever  such  miseries  befall  another  '? 
Why,  all  the  woes  possible  came  upon  her  at  once,  big  and 
little  !  As  a  crowning  stroke  to  her  discomfiture,  she  had 
said  "  baggage,"  and  that  was  an  Americanism — she  had 
read  so  in  an  English  book  !  And  Cousin  Violet,  who  had 
lived  so  long  abroad,  would  think  her  uneducated  as  well 
as  silly  !  In  her  troubled  bewilderment  she  could  pay  no 
attention  to  some  question  of  her  cousin's,  but  caught  her- 
self muttering,  "  Buggage  !"  a  wild,  impossible  combina- 
tion of  the  two  words,  which  made  her  feel  that  her  brain 
was  positively  softening. 

But  Violet  had  turned  to  the  man  again,  without 
noticing  her  insane  ejaculation  ;  and,  oh,  she  was  speaking 
calmly  about  rooms  and  arrangements  ;  and  the  trunks 
might  be  stolen — had  been  already,  no  doubt  !  Mary 
started  forward  with  some  confused  idea  of  rushing  off  in 
search  of  her  property — heard  Violet  exclaim  : 

"  Don't  stir,  dear  child  !"  and  dropped  back  into  her 
chair,  and  again  her  lips  muttered  that  impossible  word  : 

"  Baggage  !" 

"  What  did  you  say,  dear  ?"  Miss  Cameron  asked. 

Mary  only  shook  her  head  ;  she  was  past  speech  ;  so 
completely  exhausted  by  fatigue  and  varying  emotions  that 
she  did  not  care  what  became  of  the  trunks,  or  herself,  or 
anything  in  the  world. 

"Just  give  Antonio  the  ticket  for  your  boxes,"  Violet 
said  ;  and  Mary  managed  to  find  her  pocket-book  and  ex- 
tract the  paper,  but,  oh,  she  was  sure  she  appeared  hope- 
lessly idiotic.  And  she  could  not  explain  ;  and  between 
vexation,  weariness,  and  a  shuddering  disgust  to  recall  her 
adventure,  she  turned  positively  sick  and  faint. 


FROM     AMERICA.  155 

After  Mary  had  drunk  her  tea,  she  felt  somewhat  re- 
stored ;  yet  all  the  while,  as  Violet  sat  talking  in  a  kindly 
cheerful  fashion,  an  odd  sensation  that  everything  was  un- 
real oppressed  the  newly-arrived  visitor.  She  could  hardly 
yet  believe  this  the  cousin  whom  she  had  pictured  as  faded 
and  elderly,  perhaps  pretentious  and  affected,  on  the 
strength  of  having  been  a  beauty — this  lady,  so  youthful, 
so  lovely,  so  like  Mary's  exalted  ideas  of  what  a  princess 
or  a  poetess  ought  to  be  !  She  found  it  difficult  to  accept 
this  brilliant  creature  as  a  relative  in  place  of  the  ideal 
•which  she  had  formed  and  elaborated  with  the  positiveness 
of  her  age — had  shrunk  from  a  little,  too — and,  while  glad 
to  discover  her  error,  she  indulged  a  certain  sense  of  injury 
thereat.  Mary  was  a  model  to  girls  in  general  for  her 
readiness  to  admit  that  she  had  made  a  mistake  or  been  in 
the  wrong,  but  she  had  a  trick  of  retaining  that  injured 
feeling  under  her  penitence  as  a  sop  to  her  dignity. 

"  Now  I  will  show  you  your  rooms,"  Violet  said. 
"  Come  this  way,  dear." 

For  a  space  Mary  quite  forgot  her  troubles  and  annoy- 
ances in  admiration  of  the  charming  nook  which  Violet  had 
furnished  with  such  care. 

"  My  bedroom  is  next  yours,"  she  explained,  as  they 
sat  down  in  the  boudoir,  "and  Miss  Bronson's  apartments 
are  next  this  room,  so  you  will  not  feel  solitary." 

Mary  showed  so  much  pleasure,  and  expressed  her  grati- 
fication so  prettily,  that  Violet  ventured  to  hope  she  had 
got  quite  at  her  ease,  and  that  now  they  could  begin  to 
make  acquaintance. 

"  My  house  is  a  rather  gay  one,"  she  said  presently,  d 
propos  to  some  details  about  her  daily  life,  "  but  you  shall 
not  be  worried  at  present." 

"  Oh,  I  noticed  you  wore  no  mourning,"  rejoined  Mary, 
and  stopped,  confused  and  vexed  at  having  spoken  the 
words  ;  yet  the  sense  of  injury  came  back. 

"  I  did  for  a  few  weeks,"  Violet  renlied  quietly  ;  "  as 
long  as  is  customary,  unless  for  one's  immediate  family. 
You  must  recollect  that  I  had  not  seen  your  father  for 
many  years." 

"  Yes — of  course — I  beg  your  pardon  !  Oh,  I  don't 
know  what  ails  me  ;  I  say  everything  wrong  ;  I  never  be- 
haved so  in  my  life — and  you  are  so  good  to  me  !"  cried 
Mary,  her  features  working  tremulously. 


156  GIULIA'S   GREEK. 

"  You  are  tired,  that  is  all,"  Violet  said.  "  Now,  my 
dear,  I  am  going  away,  so  that  you  can  lie  down  and  rest 
before  dinner  ;  you  will  feel  better  then.  Try  to  sleep, 
and  wake  up  remembering  that  you  are  at  home  !" 

She  kissed  the  girl's  forehead  and  went  out  of  the 
room.  Left  to  herself,  Mary  indulged  in  a  hearty  fit  of 
crying,  which  did  her  good.  She  slept  afterwards,  and  by 
the  time  she  met  her  cousin  and  Miss  Bronson,  had  re- 
covered sufficient  self-control  to  behave  sensibly,  though 
still  embarrassed  enough  to  be  stiff  and  precise  ;  a  bearing 
which  caused  Violet  serious  doubts  as  to  the  probability  of 
her  proving  a  satisfactory  companion,  but  which  prepos- 
sessed Eliza  at  once  in  her  favor,  stiffness  and  dignity  being 
synonymous  terms  in  the  spinster's  mind. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
GIULI  A'S     GREEK. 

AVE  you  seen  Giulia's  Greek  ?"  asked  Lady  Har- 
court,  as  she  established  herself  in  the  coziest 
corner  of  Nina  Magnoletti's  salon. 

It  was  the  little  Russian's  reception-day,  and 
a  knot  of  people,  Violet  Cameron  among  them, 
was  gathered  in  the  room.  Her  ladyship  had  just  entered, 
and  barely  gave  herself  time  to  exchange  salutations  with 
her  friends  before  she  put  her  question. 

"  Has  Giulia  found  a  Greek?"  demanded  Nina. 
"  '  When  Greek  meets  Greek,  then  comes  the  tug  of 
war,' "  quoted  Sabakine,  with  mock  sententiousness. 

"  I  knew  you  would  get  off  that  stale  old  quotation," 
cried  Lady  Harcourt.  "  Yes,  Nina,  she  has  ;  he  only  ar- 
rived yesterday  !  Oh,  my  dear,  there  is  the  most  wonder- 
ful history  attached " 

"Already?"  broke  in  Sabakine. 

"Be  quiet,  and  let  me  tell  my  news — not  a  soul  of  you 
had  heard  !     How  delightful  to   be  first  in  the  field  for 
once  !     And  how  do  you  suppose  she  came  by  him  ?" 
"  Advertised  !" 


GIULIAS   GREEK.  157 

"  Made  a  compact  with  the  devil  !" 

"  Won  him  at  cards  !"  This  last  suggestion  was  Saba- 
kine's. 

"  No,  no  ;  nothing  so  hackneyed  and  commonplace  as 
either  of  those  devices,"  said  Lady  Harcourt. 

"  And  bhc  would  have  nothing  to  offer  his  Satanic 
majesty,  since  she  gave  him  her  soul  long  since,"  Sa- 
bakine added. 

"Do  tell  me!"  pleaded  Nina.  "Nobody  will  ever 
guess." 

"  Miss  Cameron  is  the  only  one  who  does  not  try  her 
powers,"  said  Lady  Harcourt,  "  Yankee  though  she  be  ! 
Yes,  I  understand,"  she  continued,  as  Violet  only  smiled 
rather  disdainfully  in  response.  "  Not  worth  the  trouble  ! 
My  dear,  you  never  will  appreciate  Giulia,  in  spite  of  all 
my  efforts  to  make  you." 

"  Oh  yes,  I  think  I  do,"  returned  Violet. 

"At  her  value,"  added  Sabakine,  "which  is  above 
rubies  !  But  don't  drive  us  mad  with  curiosity,  Lady  Har- 
court !  Who  made  the  duchess  a  present  of  a  Greek '?" 

"  Her  husband  !" 

A  chorus  of  incredulity  followed  ;  Miss  Cameron  alone 
remained  silent  and  indifferent. 

"  Her  husband  !"  repeated  Lady  Harcourt,  nodding  her 
head  impressively,  and  looking  slowly  around  the  circle  till 
her  eyes  rested  upon  Violet.  "  Miss  Cameron  is  the  only 
polite  person  among  you,"  she  added ;  "  I  shall  tell  ray 
story  for  her  special  benefit." 

"  So  kind  of  you,"  said  Violet,  laughing  at  her  mis- 
chievous friend's  efforts  to  tease  her. 

"  One  may  be  less  doubting  than  Thomas,  still  there  are 
limits  to  one's  credulity,"  said  Nina. 

"  Lady  Harcourt  evidently  thinks  not,"  observed  Saba- 
kine. 

"  Hush,  you  pair  of  schismatical  Muscovites  !"  cried  her 
ladyship.  "  Yes,  a  gift  of  marital  affection,  and  a  very 
nice-looking  one  too  :  who  could  ever  say  a  harsh  word 
against  the  duke  after  this  ?" 

"Are  we  to  accept  the  duchess's  unaided  testimony  as 
to  the  quarter  from  whence  the  cadeaic  arrives?"  asked 
Sabakine. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it ;  he  comes  under  the  husband's  seal.  I 
saw  the  proofs,"  said  Lady  Harcourt. 


158  GIULIXS   GREEK. 

"  Ah,  do  tell  me  !"  urged  Nina.  "  It  is  cruel  to  play 
with  all  the  better  feelings  of  our  natures  in  this  fashion." 

"My  dear,  I  have  to  work  up  gradually  to  my  fine 
effects  ;*  one  is  not  allowed  such  a  marvel  to  relate  every 
day  !  Well,  then,  I  drove  to  Giulia's  to  carry " 

Her  ladyship  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  Carlo 
and  Aylmer. 

"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Aylmer?"  cried  Nina.  "Oh, 
don't  speak,  either  of  you  !  Lady  Harcourt  had  just  begun 
to  tell  us  something  so  interesting." 

"  I  can  begin  again." 

"Pray  lose  no  more  time  !  Giulia  has  got  a  Greek — 
her  husband  sent  him — Lady  Harcourt  went  to  the  house 
and  found  him.  Now,  now,  please  go  on,  my  dear  friend." 

"Oh,  that  story  ;  have  you  only  just  heard  that?"  cried 
the  provoking  Carlo. 

"  I  have  long  suspected  you  of  being  the  most  depraved 
of  men,  and  now  I  am  convinced  !"  retorted  her  ladyship. 
"You  only  want  to  spoil  my  dramatic  effects — you  know 
nothing  about  it !" 

"  And  what  business  have  you  here  on  my  reception 
morning,  I  should  be  glad  to  learn  ?"  demanded  Nina. 

"  Don't  I  know,  my  lady  ?"  cried  Carlo,  holding  up  a 
letter.  "  Nina  inia,  behold  my  excuse  for  this  unseemly 
intrusion  !" 

"  What  is  it — let  me  see  !"  pleaded  Nina,  hurrying  for- 
ward and  playfully  trying  to  snatch  the  letter  ;  but  he  held 
it  out  of  her  reach,  while  allowing  her  to  look  at  the  seal. 
"  The  duke's  crest — positively  !" 

"  Certainly  this  is  the  age  of  miracles  !"  said  Sabakine. 
"  Da  Rimini  makes  his  wife  a  present  of  a  young  Greek. 
Did  you  say  he  was  young,  Lady  Harcourt  ?" 

"  And  handsome,  too  !" 

"  And  selects  Carlo,  of  all  people  in  the  world,  as  his 
confidant,"  pursued  Sabakino,  who  was  exasperating  Aylmer 
by  keeping  the  seat  beside  Miss  Cameron. 

"  Oh,  at  this  rate  we  shall  never  get  at  the  facts,"  cried 
Nina,  sinking  back  in  her  chair.  "  Lady  Harcourt,  if  you 
have  a  heart  in  your  bosom,  go  on  with  your  story." 

"  And  I'll  come  in  with  the  Greek  chorus,"  said  Carlo. 

"  I  drove  to  Giulia's  to  carry  her  some  of  my  wonderful 
embrocation — her  little  girl  had  hurt  her  hand,"  explained 
her  ladyship. 


GIULIAS   GREEK.  159 

"  Ah  well,  the  poor  little  thing  stands  a  chance  of  being 
cured,  since  she  can  be  treated  for  nothing,"  Sabakine 
whispered  audibly. 

Nina  menaced  him  with  a  paper-knife. 

"  And  there  sat  Giulia  and  the  Greek  !  I  thought  at 
first  I  must  have  been  let  in  by  accident  ;  but  no  !  Giulia 
received  me  with  unbounded  enthusiasm,  and  begged  per- 
mission to  present  Giorgio  Dimetri — a  great  friend  of  her 
husband's.  He  had  just  brought  her  a  letter  ;  the  duke  par- 
ticularly requested  her  to  do  all  in  her  power  to  make  the 
signore's  stay  in  Florence  agreeable.  How  could  she  begin 
better  than  by  bringing  him  to  the  notice  of  a  person, 
etcetera,  etcetera,  as  myself — spare  my  modesty  !  Then 
we  talked  ;  the  fellow  is  well-mannered  enough  and  cer- 
tainly handsome.  I  should  say  a  consummate  rascal — and 
— well,  I  don't  know  how  to  explain  what  I  mean.  I  got 
an  idea  that  Giulia  was  afraid  of  him.  I  did,  positively  !" 

"  Giulia  afraid  !"  exclaimed  Nina. 

"  It  does  sound  absurd.  However,  he  was  exaggeratedly 
courteous  and  complimentary,  and  then  he  went  away,  and 
I  thought  how  fortunate  I  was  not  a  censorious  person,  else 
I  should  be  wondering  where  she  picked  him  up  !  But 
Giulia  knows  this  is  a  wicked  world,  and  she  treated  me* as 
if  I  were  as  wicked  as  Sabakine  himself — brought  her 
proofs.  Actually  showed  me  the  duke's  letter — so  very 
prettily  worded — joining  praise  of  his  wife  and  his  friend 
so  neatly,  that  I  cried  out  in  admiration." 

"  And  what  did  she  say  ?"  asked  Sabakine. 

"  '  Dear  Alfredo  is  such  a  superior  man  !'  "  quoted  Lady 
Harcourt,  with  so  perfect  an  imitation  of  the  duchess's 
manner  and  languid  voice,  that  everybody  laughed. 

"  And  now  for  your  part  in  the  comedy,  Carlo,"  said 
Nina. 

"  What  a  changeable  world  this  is  !"  cried  Sabakine. 

"  To  what  is  that  d  propos?"  asked  Nina. 

"A.  propos  to  Carlo's  turning  out  the  duke's  confidant 
instead  of  the  duchess's,"  returned  Sabakine,  coolly. 

Everybody  laughed  again,  Nina  as  heartily  as  the 
others  ;  each  week  convinced  her  more  thoroughly  that 
Carlo's  cure  was  too  complete  for  any  danger  of  a  relapse. 
With  all  her  arts,  Giulia  da  Rimini  could  never  again 
move  him  anv  more  than  if  he  had  been  made  of  stone 


160  GIULIA'S   GREEK. 

instead  of  the  sadly  inflammable  materials  which  entered 
into  his  composition. 

"  Read  your  letter,  Carlino  mio,"  said  she  ;  and  Carlo 
read  aloud  the  gracefully-worded  lines  in  which  the  duke 
recommended  Signor  Dimetri  to  the  marchese's  friendly 
offices. 

"  It  really  does  all  seem  like  a  charade  to  which  one 
hasn't  the  clue,"  said  Lady  Harcourt.  "  Carlo,  had  you 
written  to  Da  Rimini  that  Giulia  was  rather  lonely  these 
days  ?" 

"  How  could  I,  while  Aylrner  was  here  ?"  replied  mis- 
chievous Carlo. 

"  Ha !  sits  the  wind  in  that  quarter !"  exclaimed  her 
ladyship  ;  then  she  added  meditatively  :  "  That  supper  is 
not  paid  for  yet." 

She  glanced  from  Nina  to  Violet.  Besides  themselves 
and  Carlo,  no  one  comprehended  the  allusion,  but  the  trio 
recollected  what  she  had  said  to  Violet ;  and  now,  for  the 
first  time,  it  struck  Miss  Cameron  that  the  countess  some- 
times went  a  little  too  far  in  her  pleasantries  ;  then,  meet- 
ing her  friendly,  merry  gaze,  thought  herself  absurd  to  be 
piqued. 

"  Have  I  a  supper  to  pay  for,  Lady  Harcourt  ?"  asked 
Aylmer,  just  because  he  must  say  something  after  Carlo's 
speech,  which  had  turned  all  eyes,  except  Violet's,  upon 
him. 

"  H'm  !"  said  her  ladyship.  "  At  all  events,  it  was  pro- 
phesied that but  never  mind  !  And  did  you  receive 

the  Greek  with  open  arms,  Carlo  ?" 

"  I  should  have  done  so,  but  unfortunately  I  was  out 
when  he  called,"  Carlo  replied. 

"I  want  to  ask  a  favor  of  you,  Carlino,  but  I  suppose 
you  have  no  time  to  spare,"  said  Sabakine,  so  soberly  that, 
quick-witted  as  the  marchese  was,  he  thought  the  Russian 
in  earnest. 

"  Of  course,"  he  answered  ;  "  always  at  your  service. 
Why  should  you  think  I  hadn't  time  ?" 

"  I  thought  you  would  have  to  put  the  Greek  up  a  little 
in  his  new  metier — the  retiring  shopman  always  coaches  the 
fellow  that  takes  his  place,"  said  Sabakine,  as  grave  as  a 
judge. 

"  Attend  to  your  manners,  Alexis,"  said  Carlo.  "  No- 
body cares  about  your  morals,  but " 


QIULIAS  GREEK.  161 

"  One  moment,"  interrupted  Lady  Harcourt.  "  Get  me 
some  jeweler's  cotton,  somebody,  if  Carlo  is  going  to  dissect 
Sabakine's  mental  anatomy.  My  ears  are  not  hardened 
enough  to  endure  that." 

As  soon  as  there  was  a  lull  in  the  laughing  chatter,  Miss 
Cameron  rose  to  take  her  leave. 

"  Going  already,  Violet  !"  expostulated  Nina. 

"  I  must.  You  know  my  cousin  arrived  yesterday.  I 
promised  to  take  her  out  to  drive." 

"  A  cousin — a  feminine  one  !  You  are  less  fortunate 
than  Giulia,"  said  Lady  Harcourt. 

"  But  my  deserts  are  so  much  less,  you  must  remember !" 

"  I  hope  Miss  Danvers  is  well,"  Aylmer  said,  as  Violet's 
rising  brought  him  within  reach  of  her. 

"  Rather  tired  yet — a  little  shy  and  disconsolate,  too,  I 
am  afraid." 

"  She  certainly  cannot  be  so  long  in  your  house." 

"I  hope  not,"  Violet  replied. 

"  I  was  going  to  inquire  after  you  all,"  continued  Ayl- 
mer, "  but  I  saw  your  carriage  pass  in  the  street.  May  I 
come  to-morrow?" 

"  Of  course.  By  the  way,  the  professor  has  promised 
to  dine  with  us  enfamille.  Pray  come  too,  if  you  are  not 
better  occupied." 

"As  if  that  were  possible  !  I  shall  be  delighted  !"  re- 
turned he,  with  more  energy  than  the  occasion  absolutely 
required  ;  but  fortunately  the  others  were  listening  to  some 
remark  of  Lady  Ilarcourt's,  and  did  not  hear. 

A  rose  that  Violet  wore  i'n  her  corsage  dropped  on  the 
floor.  Aylmer  picked  it  up,  and  she  held  out  her  hand, 
saying  : 

"  Thanks  !" 

He  bent  over  her  gloved  fingers  as  if  in  leave-taking, 
holding  back  the  flower  and  looking  at  her  with  such  an 
eager  entreaty  to  be  allowed  to  keep  it  that  permission  or 
refusal  seemed  important,  trifling  as  the  matter  was.  So 
Violet  simply  appeared  unconscious  that  she  had  lost  the 
rose,  and  turned  to  exchange  some  last  laughing  words 
with  Nina  and  the  rest. 

Carlo  came  forward  and  offered  his  arm  to  conduct 
her  down  stairs,  and  Aylmer  thought  his  friend  a  monster 
for  not  leaving  the  pleasant  duty  to  him.  He  longed  to 
take  his  departure  also,  but  his  culte  was  so  sacred  that  he 


162  GIULIA8   GREEK. 

never  could  bear  doing  the  least  thing  which  would  render 
his  attentions  to  Miss  Cameron  pointed  in  the  eyes  of  their 
acquaintances.  His  precious  secret  must  risk  no  contam- 
ination from  premature  exposure  to  those  sharp-witted, 
careless-tongued  people,  who  made  a  jest  of  every  subject 
under  heaven,  from  an  idyl  to  a  tragedy. 

This  time  he  had  a  little  reward  for  his  self-denial  in 
listening  to  her  praises.  As  the  door  closed  behind  Violet 
and  Carlo,  Lady  Harcourt  exclaimed,  with  unusual  earnest- 
ness : 

"  That  charming  creature  always  affects  me  like  a  breath 
of  pure  air." 

"I  really  believe  she  lives  in  some  higher  sphere,  and 
just  stoops  to  us  occasionally,"  said  Sabakine  ;  then,  as  if 
ashamed  of  ever  speaking  seriously,  he  added  with  a  laugh  : 
"  To  leave  her  is  like  going  out  of  church,  without  any  of 
the  bored  sensation." 

"  Oh,  nobody  could  pose  less  for  a  saint,"  rejoined  Lady 
Harcourt.  "  She  is  never  prudish,  never  shocked  ;  yet 
somehow,  bright  and  witty  as  she  is,  she  gives  me  the  feel- 
ing of  a  Una  set  in  the  midst  of  our — I  mean  your — wick- 
edness." 

"Because  she  is  the  best,  purest  creature  that  ever 
lived  !"  cried  Nina,  enthusiastically. 

"  Isn't  that  her  one  fault  ?"  asked  Sabakine.  "  She  is 
a  thought  cold — her  atmosphere  is  a  little  too  rarefied." 

"  She  has  a  heart  equal  to  her  head,  and  that  is  saying  a 
great  deal,"  responded  Nina. 

"  Only  no  man  has  ever  succeeded  in  waking  it,"  said 
Sabakine. 

"  I  hope,  for  her  sake,  none  ever  will,"  observed  Lady 
Harcourt.  "  It  would  be  curious  to  watch  her  under  such 
circumstances,  but  she  is  so  earnest,  so  enthusiastic  beneath 
her  coating  of  ice,  that  the  experiment  would  probably 
prove  dangerous,  considering  what  you  men  are." 

"You  need  not  compliment  her  at  our  expense,  eh,  Ayl- 
mer?"  pronounced  Sabakine,  with  a  mischievous  glance. 

"  I  agree  with  Lady  Harcourt,"  Laurence  replied,  so 
quietly  that  Nina  indulged  in  a  hasty  wonder  if  it  could  be 
possible  her  idea  in  regard  to  the  state  of  his  feelings  was 
without  foundation. 

As  the  marchese  was  helping  Violet  into  her  carriage, 
she  said  : 


GIULIA'S   GREEK.  163 

"  There  come  Giulia  da  Rimini's  yellow  liveries  down 
the  street  ;  you  will  have  the  happiness  of  handing  her 
up  stairs.  No  doubt  she  has  brought  her  Greek  to  exhibit 
to  Nina." 

Carlo  was  not  sensitive,  but  he  had  no  mind  to  endure 
the  quizzical  looks  of  his  friends  when  he  returned  with 
Giulia  and  the  new-comer,  as  he  should  have  to  do  in  case 
Violet's  supposition  proved  correct ;  and  he  did  not  wish  a 
tete-a-tete  with  her  on  the  stairs  if  she  came  alone. 

"  Which  way  are  you  going  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Home,"  she  replied. 

"  Couldn't  you  drop  me  in  the  Piazza  Maria  Novella  ? 
I  have  an  errand  there,"  he  said. 

"  Oh  yes  ;  get  in — if  you  choose  to  risk  Mrs.  Grundy's 
censure,  supposing  we  are  seen.  Dear  me,  what  a  mortal 
terror  you  must  have  of  Circe,  since  you  are  willing  to 
sacrifice  both  our  reputations  in  order  to  avoid  her  !" 

"  I  thought  you  would  admire  my  strength  of  mind," 
returned  Carlo,  laughing,  as  he  stepped  into  the  carriage 
and  gave  the  order  to  the  footman. 

"  Or  your  prudence,"  amended  Violet. 

"  Do  you  really  suppose  I  am  obliged  to  cultivate  that 
cowardly  virtue  where  the  Rimini  is  concerned  ?"  said 
Carlo,  for  though  exceeding!)7  sensible  in  most  respects,  he 
could  never  keep  his  overweening  vanity  from  crying  out 
at  the  slightest  possible  prick. 

"  I  should  be  sorry  to  have  so  poor  an  opinion  of  you," 
she  replied,  and  changed  the  conversation  :  jests  on  the 
subject  were  disagreeable  to  her. 

Carlo  was  very  attentive  and  tender  to  his  wife  in  these 
days,  often  stopping  away  from  the  club  and  resisting  the 
attractions  of  baccarat  to  remain  with  her.  He  always  be- 
haved like  this  after  one  of  his  wanderings  of  fancy  ;  it 
was  the  certainty  that  the  vagary  would  soon  pass  which 
kept  Nina  from  becoming  jealous  enough  for  real  un- 
happiness,  and  she  possessed  the  wonderful  wisdom  and 
tact  to  receive  the  offender's  return  with  a  sweetness 
which  few  women  would  have  been  able  to  emulate. 
She  never  reproached  him  ;  appeared  neither  sad  nor 
sulky  ;  she  simply  ignored  what  had  happened,  and  ren- 
dered herself  as  fascinating  as  if  he  had  been  a  new 
victim  to  be  immolated  on  her  shrine. 

By  pursuing  this  line  of  conduct  she  kept  a  firm  hold 


164  GIULIAS   GREEK. 

over  the  butterfly  nature  of  her  husband.  He  always 
came  back — usually  came  speedily,  too  ;  for,  besides  the 
masterly  talents  she  displayed  in  her  treatment  of  him, 
she  seldom  failed  very  soon  to  find  means  of  putting 
his  temporary  goddess  at  a  disadvantage.  The  woman 
for  whom  he  conceived  one  of  his  violent,  short-lived 
fancies,  Nina  was  sure  to  pet  and  make  much  of  ;  seek  her 
society,  offer  her  entertainments,  lay  little  pitfalls,  and  sit 
serenely  by  and  watch  the  lady  fall  into  them,  and  so  dis- 
gust Carlo  ;  and  she  did  it  all  so  innocently  that  he  never 
discovered  the  dispelling  of  his  dream  was  Nina's  work. 
He  only  decreed  the  other  woman  an  idiot  ;  he  beheld  her 
commonplace,  vapid,  mere  clay,  unadorned  by  any  poetical 
light,  and  marveled  that  he  could  for  an  instant  have  im- 
agined her  anything  else  ;  and  turned  towards  Nina,  such 
a  pleasing  contrast,  and  adored  her  with  all  his  might. 

But  into  the  contest  with  Madame  da  Rimini,  Nina  had 
carried  more  active  sentiments,  growing  too  jealous  to  be- 
have with  her  customary  tact.  She  had  reached  so  high  a 
pitch  of  exasperation  at  her  impotency  to  counteract  Circe's 
spells,  that  she  might  have  risked  ruin  of  her  peace  by  open 
hostilities,  had  not  Violet  come  so  adroitly  to  her  aid  and 
ended  Carlo's  thraldom  by  the  blow  to  his  vanity. 

"I  never,  never  can  repay  you,  Violetta  mia  !"  Nina 
would  say.  "You  see  how  effectually  he  is  cured — thanks 
to  you.  Oh,  a  man — was  there  ever  anything  so  weak  !" 
Adding  this  latter  exclamation  with  the  sort  of  pitying 
scorn  one  so  often  notices  in  women's  words,  and  in  their 
treatment  of  the  opposite  sex.  Violet  understood  her 
state  of  mind,  and  only  wondered  that  such  commiserat- 
ing contempt  had  no  effect  upon  her  tenderness  for  her 
husband.  It  seemed  to  Violet  that  she  should  never  be 
able  to  behave  as  Nina  did,  though  she  acknowledged 
the  wisdom  of  such  conduct.  She  could  never  conde- 
scend to  similar  warfare — to  those  little  plots — those 
crafty  efforts  to  recall  the  wandering  masculine  fancy  ; 
nor,  when  the  infatuation  passed,  could  she  receive  the 
delinquent  with  such  complete  ignoring  of  his  misdeeds 
— such  entire  unconsciousness  that  he  had  strayed  into 
forbidden  paths. 

Were  the  case  her  own,  she  should  hate  him  ;  she  was 
sure  of  that.  Still,  she  could  admit  that  such  conduct 


AN    UNWELCOME    CONFIDENCE.  165 

showed  real  wisdom,  though  admitting  it  with  a  certain 
disdain  which  would  speedily  have  chilled  her  friendly  feel- 
ings for  almost  any  other  woman  than  Nina. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

AN   UNWELCOME   CONFIDENCE. 

HERE  was  a  little  stir  of  curiosity  in  the  room, 
carefully  suppressed,  of  course,  as  the  duchess 
entered  with  the  Greek,  and  attended  by  her 
withered,  weedy  dame  de  compagtiie,  whom  she 
always  remembered  to  produce  when  desirous  of 
appearing  intensely  respectable. 

"  She  must  have  picked  him  up  somewhere,  and  forged 
the  letters  from  the  duke,"  Sabakine  said  in  a  low  voice  to 
Lady  Harcourt,  while  Giulia  was  presenting  her  cavalier  to 
the  hostess.  "  She  is  always  deep  in  deviltry  when  she 
drags  out  that  unfortunate  dme  damnee." 

"  Who  always  reminds  me  of  a  squirrel  set  to  guard  a 
boa-constrictor,"  returned  Lady  Harcourt  in  the  same  un- 
dertone. "  But  listen — isn't  she  delicious  ?" 

"  Such  a  shame  Carlo  is  gone  !"  sighed  Sabakine,  and 
the  genuine  disappointment  in  his  tone,  and  Lady  Har- 
court's  sympathetic  glance  in  answer,  were  a  proof  that 
the  absent  one  had  been  wise  to  beat  a  retreat. 

"  Cara  marchesa,"  the  duchess  was  saying,  "  let  me  pre- 
sent to  you  a  dear  friend  of  my  husband's  !  I  knew  the 
surest  way  of  enchanting  Signer  Dimetri  with  Florence 
would  be  to  bring  him  at  once  to  your  house,  dearest 
Nina." 

"  Where  you  and  your  friends  are  so  welcome,  duchess  ; 
though  the  signore  will  soon  learn  how  you  overrate  its 
attractions — unless  he  is  always  careful  to  come  in  your 
company,"  returned  the  marchesa,  bestowing  a  courteous 
smile  on  the  stranger,  though  her  intimates  perfectly  under- 
stood the  reservation  that  last  clause  held,  whatever  might 
be  the  case  with  the  Greek,  who  bowed  and  answered  with 
sufficient  readiness  and  ease. 


166  AN    UNWELCOME    CONFIDENCE. 

"  Is  this  your  first  visit  to  Florence,  Signor  Dimetri  ?" 
Nina  asked. 

"  My  first,"  he  replied  ;  "  and  I  am  already  wondering 
how  I  could  have  deferred  it  so  long." 

"  I  hope  you  left  the  duke  quite  well,"  continued  Nina  ; 
and  again  Sabakine  and  Lady  Harcourt  exchanged  covert 
smiles,  delighted  by  the  adroitness  with  which  the  little 
Russian  signified  to  the  duchess  that  she  was  no  longer 
afraid  of  defying  her. 

"Still  suffering  from  that  tiresome  sciatica,  which 
forces  him  to  keep  within  reach  of  his  Paris  doctor,"  re- 
sponded Dimetri. 

"How  could  Shakespeare  declare  there  was  nothing  in 
names,"  said  Sabakine,  in  a  fresh  aside  to  Lady  Harconrt. 
"  Only  think  what  a  blessing  for  a  worn-out  debauchee 
like  Rimini  to  find  such  a  moral-sounding  title  to  cover  his 
ailments  ;  a  saint  might  have  sciatica,  you  know  !" 

"My  husband  gave  Signor  Dimetri  a  letter  to  Carlo," 
said  the  duchess  quickly,  and  she  pronounced  the  words 
"  my  husband "  with  a  tender  stateliness  which  caused 
Sabakine's  face  to  express  such  ecstatic  delight,  that  Lady 
Harcourt  had  much  ado  not  to  laugh.  "So  you  and  he 
will  have  to  share  in  my  pleasurable  duty  of  playing 
cicerone." 

"Carlo  will  appreciate  the  duke's  compliment,  dear 
Giulia,"  said  Nina,  sweetly  ;  "but  any  efforts  of  his  will 
seem  so  very  poor  beside  yours  !  The  marchese  received 
your  card,  Signor  Dimetri.  Too  bad,  he  is  out,  Giulia  ; 
Violet  Cameron  carried  him  off  only  a  few  minutes  since." 

The  duchess  smiled  and  turned  to  speak  to  the  assem- 
bled group,  but  she  meant  to  make  Nina  introduce  the 
Greek  whether  she  would  or  not,  and  said  : 

"I  presented  the  signore  to  Lady  Harcourt  at  my 
house"  (the  Greek  bowed,  and  her  ladyship  returned  the 
salute),  "  so  he  will  be  quite  one  of  us  without  loss  of 
time  when  you  have  named  him  to  your  masculine  adorers." 

"And  will  speedily  discover  that  I  have  no  power  over 
them  when  you  are  near,"  said  Nina,  perfectly  concealing 
her  vexation  at  being  forced  by  her  antagonist  to  do  what 
she  had  a  moment  before  resolved  she  would  not  on  any 
terms. 

"Upon  my  word,  Giulia's  gigantic  audacity  deserves 
the  overwhelming  success  it  meets,"  was  Sabakine's  com- 


AN    UNWELCOME    CONFIDENCE.  167 

ment  in   Lady    Ilarcourt's  ear,  as  he  moved   forward   in 
obedience  to  the  hostess's  appeal  : 

"  Prince  Sabakine,  the  duchess  desires  me  to  present  to 
you  her  husband's  friend,  Signer  Dimetri." 

"  Quick-witted  little  fairy  !  She  has  managed,  after  all, 
to  put  the  onus  on  Giulia,"  thought  Lady  Harcourt,  re- 
garding her  with  admiring  eyes. 

Sabakine  was  charmingly  courteous,  but  very  grand 
seigneur,  as  he  could  be  on  occasion,  and  the  Greek  made 
his  bows  and  speeches  to  him  and  the  others,  as  the 
marchesa  named  them,  with  a  composure  which  Lady  liar- 
court  decided  held  an  undefinable  something  which  proved 
that  his  ease  proceeded  from  effrontery,  not  thorough 
breeding. 

A  fresh  installment  of  Nina's  exquisite  Caravan  tea  was 
brought  in  for  the  new-comers,  and  her  ladyship  said  : 

"  I  cannot  resist,  though  if  I  drink  any  more  I  shall  be 
near  a  crise  de  nerfs  !  May  I  trouble  you,  Signer  Dimetri  ?" 
she  added  to  the  Greek,  who  stood  near  the  table  on  which 
the  smoking  samovar  had  been  set. 

She  moved  to  give  him  a  place  on  the  sofa  beside  her, 
and  conversed  most  amiably  for  some  moments,  while 
laughing  talk  went  on,  and  the  result  of  her  ladyship's 
study  was  a  meditation  which  ran  in  this  wise  : 

"  You  are  an  adventurer,  but  your  manners  are  good 
enough,  and  you  certainly  are  very  handsome.  You  are 
not  a  coward  either — a  score  of  devils  stare  out  of  your 
eyes — and  you  are  perfectly  incapable  of  fear,  moral  or 
physical.  Giulia  is  certain  to  rush  into  one  of  her  passions 
for  you,  you  broad-shouldered,  passionate-eyed,  cruel- 
mouthed  creature  !  and  you  look  capable  of  beating  her  if 
she  offended  you — and  I  am  sure  I  hope  you  will !  Now 
why  did  the  duke  send  you  to  her?  Have  you  got  a  hold 
over  him?  did  he  owe  you  money?  No,  you  are  not  that 
sort  of  man.  Did  he  project  his  soul  into  futurity,  and 
gloat  over  the  prospect  of  your  one  day  murdering  Giulia, 
and  so  freeing  him  from  the  pair  of  you  ?  or  what  was  his 
motive?  Well,  time  will  show — at  all  events  the  doubt 
gives  something  to  look  forward  to.  Perhaps  now  Giulia 
will  relinquish  her  designs  on  Aylmer.  Oh  no,  she  Avon't  ! 
— she  hopes  to  tease  Violet  Cameron.  Can  she  ?  H'm  !  I 
am  puzzled  there.  Ah,  she  has  captured  Aylmer,  and  taken 
him  behind  the  flower-stand  in  the  window.  Now  she 


168  AN    UNWELCOME    CONFIDENCE. 

peeps  to  see  if  the  Greek  notices — she  is  afraid  of  him  ! 
And  he  sees  her,  though  he  does  appear  so  occupied  with 
what  he  is  saying  to  me — he  sees  her  !  He  is  one  of  those 
creatures  that  can  look  in  every  direction  at  once — a 
faculty  left  from  that  stage  of  development  in  which  he 
was  some  sort  of  feline  animal  in  a  tropical  jungle." 

The  duchess,  who  had  strayed  away  to  examine  the 
flowers,  managed  to  catch  the  trimmings  of  her  gown  in  a 
jardiniere,  and  summoned  Aylmer,  who  stood  nearest,  by 
pointing  out  her  mishap.  While  he  was  extricating  the 
lace,  she  said,  in  a  voice  inaudible  to  the  others  : 

"  Mr.  Aylmer,  will  you  do  me  a  favor  ?" 

"  I  shall  be  most  happy,  duchess — you  are  sure  of  that !" 

"  Ah,  I  don't  want  compliments.  I  mean  a  real  favor, 
though  it  is  not  a  difficult  one  for  you  to  grant." 

"  You  have  only  to  tell  me  what  it  is,"  he  answered. 

"  I  saw  you  were  not  prepossessed  with  him,"  making  a 
slight  gesture  of  her  finger  towards  the  Greek. 

"  I  assure  you " 

"  Oh,  I  saw  !  I  am  very  quick  to  notice  even  little 
things,"  she  continued  rapidly.  "I  want  you  to  promise 
me  to  be  friendly  with  him — do  your  best  to  make  the 
rest  so." 

"Any  person  whom  you  introduce,  duchess,  is  certain 
of  meeting  with  every  attention,"  he  replied,  rather 
evasively. 

"  Promise  me — do  promise  !"  she  exclaimed,  speaking 
scarcely  above  her  breath,  but  with  an  earnestness  which 
was  reflected  in  her  eyes. 

"I  can  certainly  promise  to  show  every  courtesy  in  my 
power,"  he  said. 

"  It  is  very  important  to  me,"  she  continued.  "  I  will 
tell  you  why — I  cannot  here.  Will  you  come  to  my  house? 
I  am  going  home.  Please  come.  Ah  !  if  you  knew.  I  am 
sure  you  would  not  refuse  !  You  at  least  have  some 
generosity,  some  feeling  !  you  are  not  like  all  those  people 
there,  who  would  not  lift  a  finger  to  save  friend  or  sister 
from  a  burning  house  !" 

She  spoke  with  a  repressed  passion  and  bitterness  so 
evidently  unfeigned  that,  distasteful  as  she  was  to  him,  he 
could  not  help  a  certain  sensation  of  pity. 

"Will  you  come?"  she  repeated.  "Will  you  do  me 
the  favor  ?" 


AN    UNWELCOME     CONFIDENCE,  169 

"Please  do  not  call  so  slight  a  thing  a  favor — of  course 
I  will  come,"  he  answered. 

"  Oh,  thanks— thanks  !" 

She  moved  away  and  sat  down  beside  Nina.  Lady 
Ilarcourt  released  the  Greek,  and  the  conversation  became 
general.  Out  of  sheer  sympathy  for  any  creature  who  ap- 
peared solitary  and  miserable,  Aylmer  several  times  drew 
Giulia's  faded  dame  de  compagnie  into  the  talk  ;  but, 
though  her  habitually  anxious,  startled  face  showed  she 
appreciated  his  kindness,  she  seemed  nervous  at  the  very 
sound  of  her  own  voice.  A  lady  born  and  bred — a  sensi- 
tive woman  with  weak  nerves  and,  originally,  principles 
and  a  sense  of  right  and  wrong — forced  by  the  exigencies 
of  fate  to  accept  an  anomalous  position  in  Giulia  da 
Rimini's  house  !  It  was  no  marvel  that  after  living 
through  five  years  of  such  an  existence  she  looked,  as  Lady 
Harcourt  expressed  it,  "  like  a  mouse  caught  in  a  trap — a 
mouse  possessing  gleams  of  a  soul  instead  of  a  tail." 

"  Mademoiselle  de  Roquefort,  I  think  we  must  go  if  we 
mean  to  drive  to  the  hospital,"  said  the  duchess.  "  Signor 
Dimetri,  it  would  be  cruel  to  drag  you  away." 

But  that  personage  was  too  astute  to  prolong  his  visit. 

"  I  have  an  appointment  with  the  Brazilian  consul,"  he 
said,  "  and  must  make  my  respectful  adieus  to  the  marchesa.': 

A  couple  of  the  other  men  took  their  leave  at  the  same 
moment. 

As  the  duchess  passed  Aylmer,  she  shot  a  reminding 
glance  at  him  ;  but,  rapid  as  it  was,  that  terrible  Lady 
Harcourt  caught  it. 

"She  made  an  appointment  as  they  stood  by  the  jardi- 
niere," thought  her  ladyship.  "  Oh,  Laurence  Aylmer,  is  it 
possible  that  after  raising  your  hopes  to  Violet  Cameron, 
you  can  abase  them  '  to  batten  on  carrion'  ?  But  you  are 
only  a  man  !  Perhaps,  after  all,  I  do  you  injustice  ;  time 
•will  show  that  too." 

As  soon  as  the  retiring  guests  were  safe  out  of  hearing, 
a  chorus  of  voices  arose. 

"Was  ever  impudence  like  hers?"  cried  Nina. 

"  Her  new  man  to  be  one  of  us  immediately  !"  said  Sab- 
akin  e. 

"  He  seems  well  enough,"  said  Nina  ;  "  but  what  an  evil 
mouth  !" 

"Very  hanlsome,"  pronounced  Lady  Harcourt,  "and  I 
8 


170  AN    UNWELCOME     CONFIDENCE. 

hope  sufficiently  wicked  to  have  invented  some  new  sin  ; 
one  is  so  tired  of  the  old  vices." 

"  And  to  be  forced  in  on  us  like  this,"  said  somebody  else; 
"  not  knowing  anything  ab^ut  him,  or  where  he  came  from  !" 

"He  came  straight  from  the  duke,"  said  Lady  liar- 
court.  "I  am  sure  it  would  be  a  comfort  if  one  knew  noth- 
ing about  three-quarters  of  the  people  we  meet  in  this 
blessed  town." 

Fresh  visitors  were  announced,  and  she  rose  to  go. 

"Be  grateful,  marchesa,  that  Da  Rimini's  present  is  at 
least  presentable,  since  you  have  a  share  in  him.  Aurevoir. 
I  shall  see  you  all  at  Potaski's  to-night?  Mr.  Aylraer,  be 
good  enough  to  aid  my  tottering  steps  with  your  arm — you 
look  as  if  you  were  just  going  to  take  leave." 

"  You  pretend  that  because  you  want  to  carry  him  off," 
said  Nina,  gayly. 

"  Only  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs — I  have  no  sheep-dog  to 
guard  me,  as  dear  Giulia  had,"  laughed  her  ladyship 

When  they  reached  the  anteroom,  she  said  to  Aylmer  : 

"  I  did  not  mean  take  leave  of  your  senses,  you  know." 

"Have  you  seen  any  signs?"  he  asked. 

"I  see  nothing  ever  —  absolutely  nothing!"  she  an- 
swered. "  That  is  what  makes  me  the  safest  person  in  the 
world." 

"  I  shall  remember  your  words  when  I  have  a  secret  to 
confide,"  said  he. 

As  she  got  into  her  carriage,  she  continued  : 

"  Can  I  set  you  down  anywhere  ?  I  don't  pass  the 
Palazzo  Amaldi,  but  I  do  the  Rimini." 

"  Thanks ;  my  lodgings  are  not  in  the  direction  of 
either,"  he  replied,  laughing  in  spite  of  himself. 

"I  see  nothing,"  repeated  she;  "not  even  a  flower- 
stand  when  it  is  near  enough  for  me  to  fall  over  it.  Good- 
by,  Don  Melancholy — at  least  you  always  look  like  one, 
though  I  can't  perceive  that  you  are.  You  ought  to  wear 
a  cavalier's  dress,  you  know.  Don't  forget  my  evening — 
and " 

"  I  am  not  likely  to,  Lady  Harcourt." 

"  And  just  remember  that  sometimes  elaborately  private 
flower-stand  performances  are  seen  and  watched — are  meant 
to  be,  by  the  female  wit  which  arranges  them." 

She  nodded,  smiled,  and  drove  away,  thinking  : 

"  Of  \yhat  use  would  warnings  be  ?     If  fato  and  Giulia 


AN    UNWELCOME     CONFIDENCE.  171 

mean  to  make  him  trouble,  they  will.  Besides,  I  never 
meddle — that  has  been  the  ruling  principle  of  my  life  :  it 
is  necessary  to  have  one  of  some  sort." 

And  Aylmer  felt  confident  that  she  knew  where  he  was 
bound  as  well  as  if  she  had  heard  the  duchess's  words. 

"  If  she  were  not  the  woman  she  is,"  he  thought,  "  what 
a  dangerous  creature  she  would  be,  with  those  lynx-eyes 
and  unfailing  intuitions." 

He  walked  on,  wishing  heartily  destiny  had  not  thrown 
him  in  the  duchess's  way  that  morning,  and  thereby  spared 
him  the  present  interview.  He  was  a  man  so  singularly 
free  from  vanity  it  had  never  occurred  to  him  to  suspect 
that  Carlo's  jests  in  regard  to  the  lady's  fancy  possessed 
any  foundation,  and  even  had  masculine  weakness  prompted 
him  to  think  so,  the  duchess's  efforts  to  attract  his  attention 
would  have  been  as  much  thrown  away  as  now,  from  the 
fact  that  Violet  Cameron's  image  filled  his  heart  and  soul, 
to  the  utter  exclusion  of  every  other  member  of  her  sex. 

But  he  would  gladly  have  avoided  the  interview  ;  he 
had  no  desire  to  become  the  duchess's  confidant,  to  have 
any  part  whatever  in  her  secrets.  The  woman  was  distaste- 
ful to  him,  had  been  from  the  moment  he  set  eyes  on  her, 
and  he  vaguely  mistrusted  her — not  on  account  of  the 
aspersions  cast  upon  her  by  her  associates,  for  in  Florence  no 
two  friends  ever  appeared  to  meet  without  having  scandal- 
ous stories  to  relate  of  their  mutual  acquaintance,  but  be- 
cause he  felt  her  to  be  false  and  cruel — as  utterly  without 
principle  as  she  was  destitute  of  pity.  Her  very  beauty 
was  in  a  style  antipathetic  to  him,  and  he  had  vexed  Carlo 
sorely  by  declaring,  when  he  first  met  her,  that  he  preferred 
the  plainness  of  the  most  faded  blonde  to  the  voluptuous 
charms  of  a  big,  black  woman  with  fiery  eyes,  like  the 
duchess,  which,  even  when  they  wore  their  softest  aspect, 
reminded  him  of  a  midday  in  the  torrid  zone. 

However,  there  was  no  escape  ;  he  must  go  to  the 
Palazzo  Rimini,  and  he  tried  to  find  a  little  sympathy  for 
her  by  reflecting  that  her  agitation  and  trouble  had  been 
real  ;  but  the  wish  would  come  back  that  she  had  chosen 
her  confidant  elsewhere. 

The  duchess  was  at  home,  the  porter  told  him — would 
he  please  to  walk  up  stairs?  The  servant  at  the  entrance 
of  the  great  gloomy  antechamber,  where  on  a  dais  still 
stood  the  two  faded  gilt  chairs  in  which  dukes  and  duchesses 


172  AN    UNWELCOME    CONFIDENCE. 

of  bygone  generations  used  to  sit  in  state  to  receive  their 
dependents,  had  evidently  been  given  his  orders.  Aylmer 
was  ushered  without  delay  through  several  dingy,  cheerless 
salons  into  a  room  somewhat  more  habitable,  in  which  the 
duchess  usually  spent  her  mornings. 

She  was  there  now,  standing  by  a  window  looking  down 
into  the  narrow  street  where  the  sun  never  penetrated  save 
for  a  brief  space  towards  noon,  and  the  lofty  palace  oppo- 
site seemed  frowning  at  its  neighbor  with  inimical  glances. 

She  turned  as  Aylmer  was  announced — swept  forward 
to  meet  him,  her  long  black  velvet  draperies  trailing  over 
the  square  of  Turkey  carpet  spread  like  an  oasis  in  the  midst 
of  the  desert  of  cold  pavement — her  face  appearing  at  its 
best  in  the  sad,  troubled  expression  which  lay  like  a  cloud 
upon  if. 

"  Thank  you  very  much  for  coming,"  she  said,  in  the 
sweetest  tones  of  her  indolent  Southern  voice,  whose  slight 
tremulousness  was  the  more  noticeable  from  the  contrast 
to  its  customary  slow,  firm  ring.  She  extended  her  hand, 
then  seated  herself  on  a  couch  which  would  hold  two  com- 
fortably ;  but  Aylmer  took  possession  of  an  easy-chair  by 
the  table  placed  in  front  of  the  sofa.  "  It  was  very  kind  of 
you,"  she  added. 

"Pray  do  not  use  such  an  inapplicable  word,"  he  pleaded. 

"  It  is  the  right  one,"  she  replied,  shaking  her  graceful 
head.  "Do  you  know,  even  after  begging  you  to  come,  I 
was  almost  ready  to  bid  them  refuse  you  admittance  !  But 
I  could  not  have  excused  my  seeming  rudeness,  and  besides — 
no,  it  is  stronger  than  I — I  must  speak  to  some  one — I  can- 
not endure  my  burden  in  silence  !" 

He  scrutinized  her  narrowly  ;  she  was  not  acting,  he 
decided  ;  but  why,  of  all  people,  she  should  have  selected 
him  to  reveal  the  strait  in  which  she  found  herself,  remained 
a  complete  puzzle. 

yi  do  not,  of  course,  understand  what  you  mean  ;  at 
least,  if  any  trouble  has  come  upon  you,  signora,  you  can 
be  sure  of  my  profound  sympathy,"  he  answered,  and  won- 
dered if  he  looked  as  awkward  as  he  felt,  mentally  con- 
gratulating himself  that  the  speech  sounded  less  stilted  in 
Italian  than  it  would  have  done  in  English. 

"I  was  sure  of  that,"  she  said,  "else  I  should  not  have 
spoken  to  you  as  I  did."  She  paused  a  moment  ;  seemed 
trying  to  control  herself,  then  suddenly  exclaimed  with  in- 


AN    UNWELCOME    CONFIDENCE.  173 

finite  passion  and  pathos  :  "  Oh,  Laurence  Aylmer,  I  am 
the  most  wretched  creature  alive  !" 

Now  if  a  man  be  ready  to  fall  on  his  knees  or  open  his 
arms  in  order  to  console  a  woman  who  makes  a  declaration 
of  that  nature,  the  hearing  it  no  doubt  possesses  a  keen  in- 
terest ;  but  Aylmer  was  not  prepared  to  do  anything  of  the 
sort,  nor  did  he  for  an  instant  suppose  the  duchess  desired 
either  of  such  methods  of  consolation.  Unfeignedly  aston- 
ished by  the  outburst,  he  could  think  of  nothing  to  say 
except  : 

"  Oh,  signora,  signora  !" 

Luckily  for  him,  face  and  voice  were  as  expressive  as 
can  be  bestowed  upon  a  human  being,  and  Lady  Harcourt 
would  have  vowed  that  he  resembled  a  cavalier  or  trouba- 
dour more  than  ever,  as  he  leaned  forward  and  fastened  his 
melancholy  gaze  on  the  duchess. 

"  The  most  wretched  creature  alive  !"  she  repeated, 
flinging  up  her  hands  in  protest  against  earth  and  heaven. 
Then,  with  an  effort  at  calmness,  she  added  :  "I  did  not 
mean  to  behave  like  this  !  You  will  think  I  am  acting — 
you  Northerner  !  Remember  how  difficult  it  is  for  us  im- 
pulsive Italians  to  be  calm  and  composed  as  your  icy  ladies 
are,  no  matter  what  comes." 

"Northerner  though  I  am,  be  certain  I  can  sympathize 
with  suffering,"  said  Aylmer,  and  wished  himself  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Alps. 

The  duchess's  trouble  was  real  ;  her  fright  real  too  (and 
she  was  not  a  woman  easily  frightened),  but  neither  dis- 
tress nor  alarm  impeded  her  invention  or  dulled  her  craft. 
When  she  entered  Nina's  salon  and  saw  Aylmer,  the  idea 
flashed  across  her  that  even  the  dilemma  in  which  she  found 
herself  might  be  turned  to  use  where  he  was  concerned. 
She  could  trust  him  with  her  secret  ;  she  knew  that,  what- 
ever happened,  he  would  never  give  a  hint  of  his  knowledge 
to  any  human  being,  and  her  confidence  must  unavoidably 
effect  a  closer  intimacy  than  her  arts  had  hitherto  suc- 
ceeded  in  bringing  about.  What  she  mentally  termed  his 
exaggerated  chivalry  would  prevent  his  refusing  friendly 
counsels  to  the  woman  who  had  trusted  him,  as  often  as  she 
might  recur  to  the  subject,  and  intercourse  established  on 
that  footing  so  easily  glides  into  more 'tender  relations! 
And  now,  though  she  would  have  preferred  a  free,  expan- 
sive gush  of  sympathy  in  return  for  that  dramatic  enunci- 


174  AN    UNWELCOME     CONFIDENCE. 

ation  of  misery,  it  was  a  great  step  gained  to  have  touched 
his  generous  impulse  to  the  quick. 

"  I  know  you  can,"  she  said  ;  "  only  that  knowledge 
could  have  encouraged  rae  to  speak  when  we  met  to-day. 
Do  not  think  me  bold  and  unfetninine  because  I  trans- 
gress the  laws  which  hedge  us  poor  women  in  !  Ah,  if 
you  could  imagine  the  comfort  it  was  when  I  saw  you  !  I 
had  felt  so  utterly  alone.  The  trouble  had  fallen  so  sud- 
denly !  I  could  not  think — could  not  tell  how  to  act,  and  I 
said  to  myself,  at  least  there  was  one  human  being  to  whom 
I  could  speak  without  fear  !" 

Oh,  if  she  would  come  to  an  explanation  of  her  woes 
and  be  done  !  He  was  sorry  for  her  ;  he  would  help  her  if 
he  could,  hard  as  he  thought  it  that  she  should  have  singled 
him  out  for  the  task  ;  but  he  grew  terribly  impatient  to  get 
to  the  end. 

"  If  there  is  anything  I  can  do  to  serve  you,"  he  said, 
"only  tell  me — it  shall  be  done  at  once." 

"  Nobody  can  help  rne  !"  she  cried. 

Then  why  the  deuce  did  she  fall  upon  him  ?  he  reflected 
with  a  sudden  irritation  which  chilled  his  pity. 

"Nobody  can  help  me,  and  I  am  powerless  !"  added  the 
duchess. 

"  We  are  all  apt  to  think  so  when  trouble  comes," 
he  answered.  "  Surely  your  straits  cannot  be  so  hopeless. 
I  am  speaking  in  the  dark  ;  remember  I  do  not  know  what 
has  happened." 

"  Let  me  try  and  get  my  poor  wits  back  and  behave 
rationally,"  she  faltered,  pressing  her  hand  to  her  head. 
"That  Greek — I  want  you  to  be  friendly  with  him,  to 
make  the  others." 

"I  will  show  him  every  courtesy  in  my  power,  I  promise 
you,"  he  replied,  still  busy  in  subduing  his  irritation. 

"Yes,  I  must  tell  you  \vhy.  I  cannot  throw  myself  on 
your  generosity  without  good  reasons.  Mr.  Aylmer,  my 
husband  sent  him  !  Wait — I  can  make  you  understand 
more  easily  if  I  give  you  the  letter." 

She  opened  a  little  casket  that  stood  on  the  table, 
tossed  about  its  contents  in  an  agitated  way,  and  finally 
placed  the  duke's  epistle  in  his  hands.  Aylmer  read  the 
page  ;  it  held  neither  mystery  nor  menace  that  he  could 
discover.  On  the  contrary,  it  appeared  a  production 


AN    UNWELCOME     CONFIDENCE.  175 

which  the  most  devoted  husband  might  have  written  to  his 
wife  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  .1  valued  friend. 

"  There  certainly  is  nothing  here,  duchess,  which  can 
account  for  your  alarm,"  he  said,  his  impatience  increasing. 

"Ah,  that  is  his  craft,"  she  answered,  with  a  bitter 
smile.  "  I  must  tell  you  the  whole,  since  I  have  begun  ! 
That  man  is  sent  as  a  spy,  to  watch  me,  to  misrepresent,  to 
twist  everything  I  say  or  do  into  evidence  which  can  be 
used  to  my  hurt  !  I  am  impulsive  to  an  extreme — I  shall 
always  be  !  I  cannot  weigh  my  words,  calculate  my  con- 
duct, and  it  is  easy  to  blacken  a  woman  who  is  frank,  per- 
haps imprudent,  because,  conscious  of  her  own  rectitude, 
she  believes  her  truth  will  be  her  shield." 

The  duchess  was  about  as  impulsive  as  a  cobra  di 
capello,  and  her  frankness  of  a  kind  that  would  have  won 
Machiavelli's  admiration,  but  one  needed  to  know  her  as 
thoroughly  as  poor  Mademoiselle  do  Roquefort  did  to  dis- 
cover this  ;  therefore  small  blame  to  Aylmer  that,  in  spite 
of  his  acuteness,  his  limited  acquaintance  led  him  to  put 
faith  in  her  opening  assertions,  whatever  his  opinion  might 
be  of  her  uprightness  and  rigid  principles. 

"  A  spy  !"  she  repeated.  "Only  look  in  his  insolent, 
perfidious  face  ;  one  can  see  at  a  glance  that  the  creative 
was  well  chosen  for  his  work  !" 

"  Surely  you  must  be  mistaken,  duchess  !" 

"No,  no.  Listen,  Mr.  Aylmer  !  Though  my  husband'? 
conduct  forces  me  to  live  apart  from  him,  nobody  can  say 
I  ever  went  about  detailing  my  wrongs — my  worst  enemy 
could  not — nor  could  he  deny  that  they  have  been  many." 

A  fact,  Aylmer  knew.  The  duke  was  a  man  posi- 
tively steeped  in  vice  ;  almost  as  shameless  in  his  open  ex- 
posure thereof  as  the  mediseval  ancestors  from  whom  he 
derived  the  base  instincts  which  he  had  fostered  with  per- 
verse assiduity. 

"  The  time  came  when  I  could  endure  no  longer,"  she 
hurried  on,  "but  since  his  departure  I  have  never  opened 
my  lips  except  to  speak  kindly  of  him  !  I  have  affected  to 
consider  our  separation  the  necessity  of  circumstances. 
That  the  world  comprehended  the  truth,  I  was  aware  ;  his 
outrages  had  been  too  public  for  that  not  to  be  the  case. 
But  I  would  have  no  pity.  I  held  my  peace — you  know 
that  society,  cruel  as  it  is,  admits  this." 

"  I  do,"  he  replied  ;  "  and  supposing  your  separation  an 


176  AN    UNWELCOME    CONFIDENCE. 

amicable  one,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  imagine  what  motive  the 
duke  could  have  for  such  conduct  as  this." 

"  His  motive — it  is  easy  to  explain  !  He  believed  that 
I  would  live  with  him  again — he  used  every  inducement  to 
make  me.  I  could  not  ;  if  it  had  been  possible  I  would  ; 
but,  oh,  there  are  limits  to  a  woman's  endurance!"  She 
stopped  with  a  shudder,  then  after  a  moment  continued 
more  quietly  :  "During  the  last  few  months  lie  has  ceased 
to  urge  me — ceased  to  hope  it.  Now  he  wants  his  revenge  ; 
oh,  it  is  too  dreadful  !  My  life  has  been  my  safeguard,  so 
he  devises  this  plot.  If  he  could  manage  to  entrap  me  as 
he  thinks,  not  only  would  he  be  relieved  from  paying  the 
greater  portion  of  the  income  I  have  now,  but  he  could 
take  my  child — my  child  ;  yes,  give  her  to  that  horrible 
woman  who  is  his  companion  in  Paris — who  helps  him  on 
when  his  man's  invention  fails."' 

Aylmer  uttered  an  ejaculation  of  wondering  horror. 
"It  sounds  incredible,"  she  continued;  "but  it  is  the 
simple  truth.  I  knew  they  were  at  work,  but  was  at  a  loss 
to  imagine  what  form  their  machinations  would  take  until 
the  very  day  of  this  man's  arrival  there  came  information 
which  made  it  easy  for  me  to  understand  his  errand." 

"  Yet  you  received  him " 

"  Good  heavens,  what  could  I  do  ?" 
"  I   should    have  turned    him    out  of    doors,"  replied 
Aylmer,  bluntly. 

"  And  so  added  personal  vindictiveness  to  the  induce- 
ments which  have  set  him  to  dog  me  like  a  bloodhound  ! 
No,  no  ;  a  man  might  be  so  fearless — a  woman  cannot.  I 
must  temporize,  act  a  part,  odious  and  difficult  as  it  is  to 
my  nature  ;  I  must  let  him  visit  rne — be  friendly.  Ah, 
you  blame  me — I  see  it  in  your  face." 

"  It  seems  to  my  view  that  no  good " 

"  Remember  my  child — my  innocent  little  daughter  !" 
she  interrupted.  "  She  would  be  taken  from  me — given  t<i 
that  demon  !  Oh,  I  almost  feel  that  if  it  were  not  for  her 
I  should  cry  out :  '  Do  what  you  like — I  can  struggle  no 
longer  !'  I  would  bow  my  head  and  creep  away  into 
obscurity,  and  let  the  world  believe  what  he  wishes — 
believe  that  I  am  what  he  tried  so  hard  and  so  long  to 
make  me." 

She  hid  her  face  in  her  hands. 

"  I  have  said  the  worst  now,"  she  went  on  in  a  choked 


AN    UNWELCOME    CONFIDENCE.  177 

voice.  "  Oh,  I  know  that  it  seems  terrible  for  a  woman  to 
speak  to  any  man  as  I  am  doing  !  but  try  to  understand — 
think  how  suddenly  this  trouble  has  come  !  I  have  been 
strong  and  brave,  but  for  the  moment  to-day  I  was  at  the 
end  of  ray  courage.  I  spoke  to  you  before  I  realized  what 
I  was  doing  ;  after  that — after  such  a  request — I  was  bound 
to  explain.  You  will  not  misjudge  me  as  one  of  ray  own 
countrymen  might — you  will  let  me  feel  that  I  have  one 
friend  who  pities — who  would  help  me  if  it  were  possible  ?" 

"  That  I  certainly  would,"  he  answered,  though  again 
he  wished  devoutly  that  she  had  chosen  her  confidant  else- 
where, especially  as  she  had  no  task  to  set  him  ;  he  could 
aid  her  in  nothing  beyond  the  negative  assistance  of  being 
civil  to  the  Greek,  and  he  would  have  been  that  at  her  re- 
quest without  this  tragic  scene,  as  useless  as  it  was  painful. 

"  What  can  I  do,  what  can  I  do?"  she  moaned. 

Difficult  to  tell  the  lady  that  it  behooved  her  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly circumspect  in  her  conduct,  yet  this  counsel  alone 
suggested  itself  to  his  mind,  causing  him  to  feel  more  un- 
comfortable than  ever. 

"Surely  if  this  fellow  has  come  on  such  an  errand  as 
you  believe,  every  door  would  be  closed  against  him,  were 
it  known  ;  any  man  of  your  acquaintance  would  horsewhip 
him  out  of  Florence  with  pleasure." 

"And  ruin  me  !"  she  cried.  "No  ;  I  must  meet  craft 
with  craft — I  must  learn  how  to  do  it — to  feign,  to  dissim- 
ulate ;  oh,  I  had  learned  to  be  silent,  but  I  never  thought  to 
stoop  so  low  !" 

"  And  you  hope  in  this  way  to  foil  his  intentions  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  he  may  be  deluded  into  betraying  himself — that 
would  render  him  utterly  powerless.  If  not,  then,  seeing 
what  my  life  is,  he  will  discover  that  even  his  ingenuity 
cannot  distort  its  open  candor  to  serve  his  wicked  purpose, 
and  so  he  may  give  up  the  game.  Think  of  every  side — 
am  I  not  right  ?" 

"  Indeed,  duchess,  I  am  at  a  loss  how  to  advise " 

"Ah,  you  blame  me — most  of  all  perhaps  for  speaking — 
for  yielding  to  my  consciousness  that  I  could  trust  you  !" 
she  exclaimed. 

"  I  ca'i  only  feel  honored  by  it,"  he  said. 

"I  should  have  borne  my  burden  as  I  had  hitherto — 
alone — if  I  had  only  had  time  to  reflect — to  get  my  courage 
back,"  she  continued.  "  Do  not  condemn  me  ;  do  not  think 
8* 


178  AN    UNWELCOME     CONFIDENCE. 

me  unwomanly  !  Ol),  if  you  knew  what  a  relief  it  is  to 
speak,  even  though  I  feel  ashamed  in  so  doing  !  Oh,  these 
past  ten  years — ten  years  !  I  was  only  eighteen  when  they 
married  me  to  him.  ;  they  took  me  from  a  convent,  as 
ignorant  of  the  world  as  a  babe — no  suffering,  no  degrada- 
tion has  been  spared  me!  Ah,  I  think  I  am  mad  to  talk 
like  this  !  yet  I  cannot  have  you  judge  me  harshly.  I 
was  wrong  to  say  a  word — very  wrong  ;  but  having  done 
so,  I  must  make  you  comprehend  how  desperate  this  new 
danger  has  rendered  me.  Oh,  I  have  self-respect  enough  left 
to  be  ashamed  !" 

"  No,  no  !"  he  said  eagerly.  "  Pray  believe  that  you 
have  my  warmest,  fullest  sympathy — only  I  feel  so  terribly 
helpless." 

"  Give  me  that — you  can  do  nothing  more.  But  sym- 
pathy is  a  great  deal  to  a  woman  so  completely  alone  as  I  !" 

"  Rest  certain  you  have  it,  duchess." 

"  Thanks — a  thousand  thanks  !"  she  cried.  "  And  you 
will  try  to  judge  leniently  ? — try  not  to  think  me  wrong  in 
telling  you  the  truth  ?" 

"  I  have  no  need  to  try,"  he  answered  truthfully  ;  for  the 
man  does  not  live  so  destitute  of  vanity  that  he  could  very 
harshly  condemn  a  woman  because  she  offers  him  her  con- 
fidence, however  troublesome  it  may  be  to  find  himself  the 
recipient  of  such  trust,  or  however  much  he  might  censure 
her  for  bestowing  it  upon  any  other. 

"  Now,  I  want  you  to  go.  Do  not  think  me  rude  in 
sending  you  away  so  unceremoniously.  You  will  not  see 
me  like  this  again  !  I  shall  endeavor  to  act  for  the  best  ; 
but  recollect  we  women  cannot  boldly  attack  our  enemies 
like  you  men — we  must  outwit  them.  It  is  the  penalty  we 
pay  for  our  weakness — for  the  unjust  laws  by  which  your 
sex  has  hemmed  us  in.  Stale  old  complaints,  I  know,  but 
terribly,  terribly  true  !" 

She  rose  and  gave  him  her  hand  with  a  mournful  smile. 
Pie  had  never  seen  her  look  so  interesting  as  she  did  at  this 
moment.  Repressed  misery,  patience,  regret  at  her  own 
frankness,  yet  a  sense  of  comfort  in  having  spoken — all 
these  feelings  were  expressed  in  her  face,  and  she  dropped 
slowly  into  one  of  her  majestic  attitudes,  which  would  have 
inspired  a  sculptor. 

Aylmer  reiterated  those  protestations  which  the  position 
actually  forced  upon  him,  and  took  his  leave. 


AN    UNWELCOME     CONFIDENCE.  179 

The  duchess  was  tolerably  satisfied  with  the  results  of 
the  interview,  though  the  gentleman  certainly  had  not  ap- 
proached the  verge  of  tenderness  by  so  much  as  a  word, 
but,  keen-sighted  as  she  might  be,  Giulia  da  Rimini  had 
sufficient  confidence  in  the  power  of  her  own  charms  to  be- 
lieve that  no  man  could  long  resist  them  when  they  were 
fully  put  forth,  and  she  naturally  supposed  Aylmer's  very 
eloquent  glances  must  mean  something  beyond  mere  com- 
monplace commiseration.  His  failing  to  make  the  use  of 
the  situation  which  many  men  would  have  done,  only  be- 
came a  proof  that  she  had  so  thoroughly  preserved  her  dig- 
nity that  he  feared  the  utterance  of  warmer  sympathy 
might  bring  upon  him  the  reproach  of  repaying  her  trust 
by  an  insult. 

It  would  have  been  difficult  for  most  of  her  acquaint- 
ances to  credit  the  statement,  but  every  syllable  she  had 
uttered  was  the  literal  truth.  Yet  not  only  could  she  rejoice 
over  the  arrival  of  a  crisis  which  afforded  an  opportunity  to 
establish  a  bond  between  herself  and  Aylmer  ;  but,  in  spite 
of  her  terror  of  the  Greek,  she  felt  no  personal  repulsion 
towards  the  villain — his  exceeding  beauty  prevented  it.  So 
far  from  despising  the  baseness  which  could  have  induced 
him  to  undertake  an  errand  like  his,  she  considered  his  doing 
so  a  proof  of  ability,  and  she  admired  the  unlimited  faith 
in  his  own  powers  which  he  must  possess  to  imagine  that  it 
would  be  possible  for  him  to  out-general  her. 

Ah,  she  should  have  a  great  deal  upon  her  hands — full 
occupation — and  excitement  was  always  welcome.  She  had 
by  no  means  given  up  the  hope  of  reclaiming  Carlo — she 
had  the  Greek  to  subdue,  either  by  turning  his  head  or 
finding  some  more  profitable  bargain  to  offer  than  the 
duke's  ;  Laurence  Aylmer  to  lead  through  the  realm  of 
friendship  into  a  maze  from  whence  escape  would  prove  an 
impossibility;  and  \riolet  Cameron  to  punish  !  ,  Oh  !  nothing 
could  be  more  imperative  than  that  duty,  and  her  hatred 
was  increased  by  the  certainty  of  her  intended  victim's 
caring  for  the  heiress.  She  only  wanted  to  be  sure  that 
Violet's  feelings  were  interested,  then  subjugation  of  Ayl- 
mer would  afford  revenge  upon  the  haughty,  scornful 
creature. 

And  Laurence  went  his  way,  not  in  the  least  softened  in 
his  judgment  of  the  duchess  by  his  pity,  though  he  gave 
her  that  freely,  and  no  more  reflected  upon  the  possible 


180  DIOGENES 'S    ADVICE. 

false  position  into  which  the  sentiment  might  force  him 
than  any  other  generous,  impulsive  man  does  where  a  woman 
is  concerned. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
DIOGENES' s    ADVICE. 

O  you  and  Miss  Bronson  have  been  doing  a  lit- 
tle sight-seeing,  Mary,"  Miss  Cameron  said 
the  next  evening,  as  her  cousin  entered  the 
room  where  she  sat  awaiting  the  two  guests 
whom  she  had  invited  to  dine. 

"  We  went  to  the  Uffizi  gallery,"  Mary  answered,  "  and 
to  San  Marco." 

"And  you  were  pleased?"  Violet  asked,  making  room 
for  her  to  sit  beside  her  on  the  sofa. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  Mary  replied,  and  said  no  more,  and  Violet 
wondered  if  her  relative  were  as  unenthusiastic  as  she 
seemed  undemonstrative  ;  but  something  in  Mary's  face — 
an  eager,  yet  satisfied,  expression  which  brightened  it — 
warned  Miss  Cameron  that  she  might  be  judging  hastily. 
Perhaps  the  girl  was  capable  of  both  enthusiasm  and  demon- 
strative ness,  but  still  felt  too  new  and  strange  in  her  present 
surroundings  to  betray  either. 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  that  Mary  has  a  very  proper  appre- 
ciation of  art,"  said  Eliza  Bronson,  who  appeared  just 
after  Miss  Danvers,  from  which  remark  Violet  compre- 
hended that  Mary  had  listened  patiently  to  the  spinster's 
dissertation  thereon.  She  saw  a  quickly  repressed  smile 
flit  over  her  cousin's  lips  as  Eliza  spoke,  and  it  struck  her 
that  perhaps,  too,  the  little  creature  possessed  a  sense  of 
humor,  demure  as  she  was.  Violet  hoped  so  ;  long  experi- 
ence of  Miss  Bronson  had  taught  her  that  intimate  com- 
panionship with  a  person  who  has  none  is  frequently  a  trifle 
wearing.  "  I  think  she  quite  enjoyed  San  Marco,  also," 
pursued  Eliza  ;  "and  I  was  able  to  give  her  some  details 
in  regard  to  Savonarola  and  Fra  Angelico,  and — you  have 
not  forgotten  the  other,  Mary,  my  dear  ?" 

"  Fra  Bartolommeo,"  rejoined  Mary,  with  the  prompt 
obedience  of  a  child  repeating  its  lesson. 


DIOGENES' 8    ADVICE.  181 

"  Ah,  I  am  glad  you  remember  !  I  foresee  that  we 
shall  acquire  real  benefit  from  our  researches,"  said  Eliza, 
complacently.  "  But,  my  dear,  we  must  recollect  that, 
gifted  as  they  were,  those  men  were  very  benighted  crea- 
tures after  all — monks,  only  monks  !" 

The  spinster  uttered  these  words  with  a  prolonged 
shiver,  and  again  Violet  saw  the  dimples  deepen  about 
Mary's  mouth,  but  the  girl  caught  her  glance  and  tried  to 
look  serious,  as  if  afraid  of  disapproval,  and  then  seemed 
comforted  when  Violet  laughed  outright. 

"You  cannot  deny  it,  Violet,"  said  Miss  Bronson, 
severely. 

"  I  don't  mean  to,"  returned  Violet,  "  so  please  do  not 
scold  me  for  my  weakness  in  regard  to  them.  I  am  sure 
you  had  a  pleasanter  morning  than  I — forced  to  make  a 
quantity  of  visits  and  go  to  a  charity  concert  into  the  bar- 
gain. Oh,  I  hate  charities  !" 

"  Violet,  Violet  !"  remonstrated  Miss  Bronson.  "  Recol- 
lect that  Mary  is  not  yet  acquainted  with  your  rather — what 
shall  I  say  ? — exaggerated  mode  of  speaking,  and " 

"Mary,  my  dear,"  broke  in  Violet,  "be  sure  you  don't 
let  me  contaminate  you  !  Eliza,  your  example  may  serve 
to  protect  her." 

"  Surely  you  know  that  was  not  what  I  meant  to  imply," 
began  the  spinster  in  horrified  tones,  but  Violet  pretended 
not  to  hear. 

"  What  pretty  hair  Mary  has,"  she  said,  secretly  deter- 
mining as  she  spoke  that  before  long  she  would  have  it 
differently  arranged  :  it  looked  too  prim  and  stiff  to  suit 
her  ideas.  She  really  must  lighten  the  child  up  somewhat 
— that  severe  black  raiment  seemed  so  unsuited  to  her. 
She  rose,  and  went  round  behind  the  sofa,  took  some  white 
roses  out  of  a  vase,  and  fastened  two  or  three  in  Mary's 
tresses  so  deftly  that  the  girl  did  not  feel  her  touch  :  in- 
deed, her  mind  was  occupied  with  Violet's  remark  : 

"  I  am  going  to  introduce  one  of  my  dearest  friends  to 
you,  Mary,  old  Professor  Schmidt,  the  best  man  in  the 
world." 

"  If  he  were  not  a — a  skeptic  !"  cried  Eliza,  hesitating 
over  the  word,  as  if  even  the  pronouncing  it  were  a  sin. 

"  He  was  in  America  once,"  said  Mary  ;  "  I  read  some 
lectures  he  delivered — they  were  delightful." 


182  DIOGENES'1 8     ADVICE. 

"  I  trust  at  least  that  none  of  his  pernicious  doctrines 
crept  in,"  said  Eliza,  with  a  deep  sigh. 

"I  don't  think  so.  They  were  given  at  a  girls'  school 
— one  was  on  botany,  another  on  astronomy,"  Mary  an- 
swered ;  and  broke  off  to  add,  in  a  hesitating  fashion, 
"  Oh,  Cousin  Violet,  you  are  all  in  white  !  Is  it  a  party  ? 
I'd  rather  not— I " 

"  No  party  at  all,  my  dear,"  rejoined  Violet,  as  Mary 
paused.  "  Just  the  professor  and  another  gentleman  whom 
— ah,  I  hear  their  voices  in  the  anteroom." 

Antonio  announced  the  German  and  Mr.  Aylmer.  Vio- 
let, standing  with  her  hand  on  Mary's  shoulder,  felt  her 
cousin  start  as  the  latter  name  was  pronounced,  and  as  she 
moved  forward  to  greet  her  visitor,  she  glanced  at  Mary's 
face  :  it  wore  the  same  disturbed  expression  which  had 
struck  Violet  when  on  the  day  of  her  arrival  the  girl 
caught  sight  of  Laurence  Aylmer  as  she  entered. 

"  Fraulein,"  said  the  professor,  seizing  both  her  hands 
in  his,  "  I  am  so  hungry  that  I  shall  eat  you  if  dinner  is 
not  served  in  two  minutes.  You  look  like  a  goddess  !"' 

"  Some  heathens  beat  their  gods — you  want  to  devour 
yours,"  returned  Violet.  "  It  was  very  good  of  you  to 
come,  even  if  you  do  threaten  to  eat  me,  my  dear  old 
Diogenes." 

"  Very  good  to  myself,"  said  the  professor.  "  Ah,  Miss 
Bronson,  charmed  to  see  you.  You  are  looking  unbelief 
of  my  having  a  deity  of  any  sort." 

"  Professor,  professor  !"  said  Eliza,  in  a  warning  whisper 
that  was  perfectly  audible  to  the  others,  and  a  glance 
towards  Mary  to  emphasize  her  words.  "  Let  me  entreat 
you  to  avoid  certain  subjects  which  distress  me  at  all  times, 
but  which,  in  the  presence  of  a  youthful  mind " 

"  Ah,  Miss  Mary  Danvers  ?  I'll  be  so  discreet  that  if 
you  tell  her  I  am  a  disciple  of  Calvin  she'll  believe  you," 
interrupted  the  professor,  in  an  intentionally  loud  aside. 
"  Fraulein,"  he  added,  unceremoniously  breaking  in  on 
Aylmer's  salutations  to  the  hostess,  "  leave  that  young  man 
to  the  neglect  he  deserves,  and  present  your  musty,  fusty 
old  adorer  to  your  cousin  !  My  dear,  I  am  very  glad  to 
welcome  you  ;  I  shall  call  you  my  dear,  though  I  spare 
my  excellent  Miss  Bronson  that — in  public." 

"Professor!"  cried  Eliza,  indignantly.  "Mary,  he 
never  dares  at  any  time  !" 


DIOGENE&S    ADVICE  183 

"Mary — the  very  name  for  her!  Oh,  Miss  Bronson, 
Miss  Bronson,  trust  to  ray  discretion.  I  will  not  betray 
our  little  secrets." 

"Secrets!"  echoed  §he,  in  mingled  distress  and  scorn. 
"Excuse  me,  Professor  Schmidt,  but  really  your  spirits 
carry  you  away." 

"My  legs  carried  me  on  a  tramp  of  ten  miles  to-day," 
said  he,  "and  that  wretched  Aylmer  pretended  an  engage- 
ment just  to  avoid  a  little  exercise  ;  he  is  hopeless,  utterly 
hopeless,  Fraulein  !  I  shall  speak  to  our  clergyman,  Miss 
Bronson,  about  bis  excommunication." 

"  I  could  wish  that  you  had  a  clergyman,"  said  Eliza, 
with  dignity. 

The  other  three  were  laughing,  but  all  the  same  Violet 
had  leisure  to  notice  that  one  of  Mary's  little  flutters  was 
apparent  as  she  received  Aylmer's  greeting,  even  in  the 
midst  of  her  amusement  at  the  skirmishing  between  Miss 
Bronson  and  her  persecutor.  But  the  wonder  it  excited  MI 
Miss  Cameron's  mind  was  on  this  occasion  divided  with 
another  reflection.  She  had  not  before  seen  Mary  really 
laugh,  and  between  merriment,  that  slight  confusion  and 
vivid  blush,  she  looked  as  pretty  as  an  impersonation  of 
Spring. 

Antonio  announced  dinner,  and  the  professor  led  the 
hostess  into  the  dining-room,  but  gave  his  other  arm  to 
Mary,  saying,  in  a  whisper,  which  so  perfectly  imitated  the 
audible  aside  wherein  Eliza  had  a  habit  of  indulging,  that, 
with  the  exception  of  the  worthy  lady  whom  he  presumed 
to  mimic,  his  listeners  were  forced  to  laugh  again  : 

"  Don't  intrude  on  them,  Miss  Mary  !  I  have  a  horrible 
suspicion  that  my  worshiped  Miss  Bronson  is  less  faithful 
to  me  than  she  pretends,  but  I  remain  blind — blind.  I  will 
not  verify  my  doubts,  though  they  rack  my  heart,  yes,  to  its 
furthest  depths." 

Eliza  affected  not  to  hear  the  unseemly  jest  at  her 
expense,  and  began  asking  Aylmer  after  his  health,  a  cere- 
mony she  always  went  through  as  regularly  as  if  he  had 
been  a  confirmed  invalid,  instead  of  a  person  with  every 
appearance  of  possessing  perfect  strength  and  vigor. 

"  You  cannot  be  too  cautious,"  she  added,  in  response 
to  his  assurance  that  he  was  never  better. 

"  Indeed  he  cannot,"  cried  the  professor ;  "  I  hear 
every  word,  my  Adeliza — every  word  !" 


184  DIOGENE&S    ADVICE. 

"After  an  injury  like  yours,"  pursued  Eliza,  steadily 
ignoring  the  savant's  impertinent  interruption. 

"  lie  will  meet  with  a  worse  if  this  continues,"  said  the 
professor,  "  and  so  I  warn  him !  Beware,  Adeliza,  be- 
ware !" 

Eliza  had  to  laugh  at  his  comic  absurdity,  and  the 
dinner  commenced  gayly  enough.  Presently  Mary  Danvers 
had  a  fresh  disturbing  prick  ;  chancing  to  catch  sight  of 
herself  in  a  mirror  which  hung  opposite,  she  perceived  the 
flowers  in  her  hair  ;  it  seemed  to  Mary  they  gave  her  quite 
a  festal  appearance,  and  she  doubted  if  that  could  be  right. 
Then  came  the  thought,  how  very  good  of  Violet  to  pay 
attention  enough  to  her  appearance  to  put  them  there. 
!Slie  had  half  feared  her  cousin  too  elegant  and  tine  to  think 
much  about  a  young  girl  !  Oh,  she  herself  must  be 
inclined  to  ingratitude  !  The  bare  idea  that  she  could  be 
guilty  of  a  sin  so  despicable  was  dreadful  indeed  ;  and 
Violet  happening  to  look  towards  her  at  the  instant,  mar- 
veled anew  what  the  earnest  gaze  of  the  girl's  eyes  could 
mean. 

The  dinner  passed  very  pleasantly.  After  a  time  Violet 
led  the  conversation  to  graver  subjects,  and  brought  out 
the  professor,  as  she  had  meant  to  do.  He  talked  in  his 
most  interesting  fashion,  and  even  Eliza  Bronson,  as  she 
listened,  forgot  all  his  shortcomings  in  admiration.  He 
was  one  of  those  rare  people  who  own  the  faculty  of  con- 
versing upon  scientific  or  abstruse  subjects  in  a  manner  so 
clear  that  the  most  ordinary  mind  can  comprehend.  He 
had  wandered  over  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  seeing 
with  the  eyes  of  a  naturalist  and  a  philosopher  ;  he  pos- 
sessed a  poetical  appreciation  of  nature,  and  though  he 
never  talked  for  effect,  never  indulged  in  ornate  periods, 
when  he  got  fairly  launched,  his  descriptions  were  so  elo- 
quent and  vivid  that  it  seemed  positively  to  bring  the 
scenes  he  depicted  before  his  listeners. 

It  proved  a  blissful  evening  to  Laurence  Aylmer,  though 
he  talked  less  than  usual  ;  he  felt  in  a  mood  when  just  to 
sit  in  the  presence  of  the  woman  he  loved  and  study  her  face 
unobserved  was  happiness. 

He  knew  very  well  that  any  yielding  to  the  impatience 
which  at  times  he  found  so  difficult  to  control  might  fatally 
injure  his  cause  ;  but  when  alone  with  her,  his  eager  heart 
fought  for  utterance,  till  often  he  could  not  master  its  emo- 


DIOGENES' 8    ADVICE.  185 

tions,  and  he  recognized  that  it  was  fortunate  on  each  oc- 
casion she  had  either  successfully  prevented  speech,  or  that 
some  interruption  had  occurred,  as,  for  instance,  on  the  day 
of  Mary  Danvers's  arrival. 

Ah,  Mary  Danvers  !  he  saw  that  she  was  fluttered,  al- 
most ill  at  ease,  in  his  society,  and  did  not  like  to  speculate 
upon  the  cause  ;  he  wished  he  could  think  it  arose  solely 
from  her  knowledge  of  his  having  met  with  pecuniary  losses 
through  her  father,  but  once,  while  he  and  George  Danvers 
were  friends,  the  gentleman  had  dropped  a  hint  that  he 
should  look  favorably  upon  Ay  liner's  attentions  to  his 
daughter.  Laurence  rendered  it  unmistakably  evident 
that  no  such  idea  had  entered,  or  could  enter,  his  mind  ;  he 
regarded  Mary  as  a  mere  child  ;  had  scarcely  taken  the 
trouble  to  become  acquainted  with  her,  though  he  visited 
the  house  frequently,  for  Danvers  could  make  himself  very 
agreeable  when  lie  desired.  And  not  long  after  that  con- 
versation, Danvers's  manner  had  changed  a  little  ;  he  de- 
voted his  powers  to  drawing  Aylmer  into  those  business 
schemes  which  proved  so  disastrous.  When  the  losses 
came,  Laurence  could  not  help  thinking  that,  as  soon  as  the 
man  discovered  there  remained  no  hope  of  providing  for 
his  child  against  the  ruin  which  he  knew  must  overtake 
him  in  a  few  months,  by  the  marriage  he  had  contemplated, 
he  recklessly  and  ruthlessly  employed  his  arts  to  obtain  the 
money  to  fling  after  his  own  into  the  pit  of  speculation. 

These  losses  had  involved  the  discomforts  of  a  sudden 
change  from  ample  means  to  a  comparatively  limited  in- 
come, but  his  future  would  be  independent  of  them.  On 
the  death  of  a  relative  he  must  come  into  possession  of  a 
large  fortune  bequeathed  to  her  for  life  only,  and  she  was 
now  an  elderly  woman.  Laurence  was  the  last  man  in  the 
world  to  calculate  on  such  an  event,  but  since  his  acquaint- 
ance with  Violet  Cameron  the  recollection  that  a  few  years 
would  give  him  affluence  became  a  pleasant  thought  ;  he 
had  no  necessity  to  hesitate  or  fret  over  the  fact  of  her 
wealth,  since  before  long  he  should  fully  equal  her  in  that 
particular. 

He  was  not  given  to  talking  of  himself  ;  even  to  the 
professor  he  had  never  mentioned  that  certainty  as  to  his 
future — indeed,  he  regulated  it  in  his  own  mind  without  such 
reference,  lie  had  come  to  Europe  meaning  to  revisit 
places  already  familiar,  study  the  countries  he  had  not  yet 


186  DIOGENES '8   ADVICE. 

seen,  then  return  to  America  and  devote  his  energies  to  a 
political  career.  But  meeting  Violet  entirely  changed  his 
projects  of  travel  ;  he  could  not  tear  himself  away  from 
Florence,  and  in  her  eyes,  as  well  as  those  of  the  professor, 
he  had  a  reason  for  remaining.  He  was  a  facile,  brilliant 
writer,  well  placed  in  the  best  reviews  of  England  and 
America,  and  besides  occupation  of  that  sort,  busy  with  a 
work  upon  certain  periods  in  Florentine  history,  which, 
often  as  the  whole  chronicle  has  been  written,  it  seemed 
to  him  might  be  presented  in  a  new  aspect. 

The  professor,  enthusiastic  over  his  plan,  and  the  most 
helpful  assistant  imaginable  in  researches  among  musty  old 
tomes  and  parchments,  felt  confident  that  the  result  of 
Aylmer's  labor  must  establish  his  reputation  so  thoroughly 
that  the  young  man,  convinced  literature  was  his  legitimate 
sphere,  would  relinquish  the  idea  of  rushing  off  into  the 
dreary  labyrinth  of  American  politics. 

To  night,  as  they  were  walking  homeward  together,  the 
professor,  roused  out  of  a  reverie  which  had  afforded  Lau- 
rence leisure  to  listen  to  the  farewell  words  of  Violet 
Cameron,  still  ringing  in  his  ears,  seized  Aylmer's  arm, 
stopped  directly  under  a  lamp-post,  and  glowered  at  him. 

"Aren't  you  a  fool?"  demanded  the  savant,  in  a  mild, 
insinuating  voice,  as  if  offering  some  highly  complimentary 
remark. 

"  I  dare  say  I  am,"  returned  Aylmer. 

"  And  I  dare  to  say  so  too,"  said  the  professor,  with  a 
Jupiter-like  nod  and  a  tone  of  exceeding  triumph.  "  I  have 
been  watching  you  for  weeks,  and  I  know  that  you  are." 

"  Rather  a  waste  of  your  valuable  powers  ;  doesn't 
speak  much  either  for  your  perspicuity,  if  it  has  taken  you 
so  long  to  arrive  at  such  a  self-evident  fact,"  retorted 
Aylmer,  for  once  wishing  the  dogmatical  old  man  a 
thousand  leagues  away. 

"  Don't  you  sneer  in  your  fine  jrentleman  dandified 
fashion,  else  the  first  time  you  fall  into  my  hands  again  as 
patient,  I'll — I'll  poison  you  !"  cried  the  professor.  "  Yes, 
I've  been  watching  you " 

"  So  you  just  said  !" 

"  And  you're  a  fool  !" 

"  You  told  me  that  too  ;  as  I  knew  it  already,  there  is 
no  necessity  for  repeating  it." 

"  There  is  !     The  human  animal  is  so  dull  that  you  must 


DIOGENES' 8   ADVICE.  187 

hammer  at  it  with  a  fact  before  you  can  bring  conviction 
to  the  mind  in  regard  to  the  thing  it  knows  perfectly  well." 

"  That  sounds  very  fine  and  very  German,  but  I  don't 
think  it  means  anything/'  said  Aylmer. 

Then  they  both  laughed,  and  walked  on  for  some  mo- 
ments in  silence. 

"  You  don't  want  advice"?  I  never  saw  the  human  being 
who  did  when  he  really  stood  in  need  of  it,"  quoth  the 
professor,  suddenly.  "  Well,  well  !  here  we  are  at  the 
Duorno  Square  ;  let  us  walk  round  the  cathedral,  and  study 
the  effect  of  the  moonlight,  on  the  side  where  they  have 
bwn  cleaning  the  walls — done  with  vitriol,  they  tell  me, 
which  will  cause  them  to  decay  rapidly  ;  but  as  the  beauti- 
ful old  edifice  will  last  our  time,  we  won't  grumble  at  hav- 
ing it  made  more  beautiful." 

They  passed  under  the  shadow  of  the  vast  pile,  and 
stopped  behind  Giotto's  tower,  which  rose  airy  and  majes- 
tic— a  crown  of  stars  seeming  to  rest  upon  its  summit. 
The  moonlight  fell  full  upon  that  part  of  the  church — illu- 
minating one  doorway  which  had  a  narrow  casement  on 
either  side.  Every  detail  came  out  with  wonderful  distinct- 
ness— the  figures  in  the  window-niches,  the  Virgin  behind 
her  shrine  above  the  portal — the  whole  a  mass  of  such  marvel- 
ous and  intricate  carving,  that  it  looked  like  some  gigantic- 
ivory  casket  wrought  with  black  and  silver. 

It  was  late — not  a  person  in  sight — not  a  common  street 
sound  to  vex  the  air.  Suddenly  the  Campanile  bell — that 
sweetest-voiced  singer  in  Europe — slow  y  chanted  midnight 
in  its  soft,  deep,  velvety  bass,  ringing  down  from  the  tower's 
height  with  such  superhuman  melody  that  it  seemed  to 
Aylmer's  dreamy  fancy  he  must  be  catching  strains  from 
the  very  courts  of  heaven — counted  its  orison,  and  was 
mute,  leaving  the  echo  of  its  sweetness  on  the  listening  air. 

Presently  they  went  along  the  Via  Calzajoli  to  the 
Piazza  Signoria,  and  paused  before  the  Palazzo  Vecchio 
with  its  lily-like  tower  (the  only  comparison,  stern  gray 
stone  though  its  material  be),  watched  the  yellow  glory 
gild  Orcagoa's  Loggia,  brighten  the  bronze  Perseus,  man- 
tle Fedi's  group — then,  still  in  silence,  wandered  through 
the  statue-lined  colonnades  of  the  Uffizi,  and  came  out  up- 
on the  Arno.  At  the  right,  the  quaint,  picturesque  Ponte 
Vecchio  shut  in  the  view  ;  away  to  the  left,  San  Miniato 
blazed  with  lights  ;  and  beyond,  the  outlines  of  the  distant 


188  DIOGENES' 8   ADVICE. 

mountains  showed  like  cloud-castles  in  the  transparent 
atmosphere. 

"Ach,  what  a  beautiful  city,  what  a  beautiful  world  !" 
the  professor  boomed  forth.  Then  he  took  a  long  German 
pipe  from  the  pocket  of  his  ulster,  lighted  it  as  carefully 
and  lovingly  as  if  it  had  been  some  sacred  censer,  the  kin- 
dling whereof  was  a  religious  rife,  puffed  a  column  of  white 
smoke  into  the  air,  and  descended  from  philosophical  medi- 
tations to  deliver  the  lecture  which  he  had  deceitfully 
allowed  Aylmer  to  think  was  to  be  spared. 

"  Young  man,  I  do  not  wear  a  petticoat  and  I  am  not 
perhaps  exactly  what  one  might  term  a  beauty,  but  I  pro- 
pose to  render  this  interview  useful  to  your  benighted 
faculties,  even  if  I  cannot  make  it  interesting." 

"  Heaven  help  me  !"  groaned  Laurence. 

"  Be  silent,  you  !"  commanded  the  professor,  looking 
sternly  out  from  a  halo  of  smoke.  "  You  are  in  love  with 
hei — you  would  bean  ass  if  you  were  not !"  Ayhner  made 
a  quick,  indignant  gesture.  "Listen  to  the  oracle,"  pur- 
sued the  savant  ;  "  there  is  more  behind  !  She  is  in  love 
with  you,  though  you  did  not  know  it,  nor  does  she." 

Aylmer's  rising  irritation  vanished.  He  could  not  have 
offered  any  confidence  ;  coming  from  another  man  he 
would  have  regarded  such  words  a  gross  impertinence,  but 
he  loved  and  honored  the  professor  so  highly  that  he  was 
content  to  learn  that  the  sage  had  discovered  his  precious 
secret,  and  hear  him  plunge  with  brutal  frankness  into  a 
discussion  thereof. 

"  She  is  growing  gradually  in  love  with  you,"  amended 
the  savant,  slowly  and  emphatically.  "  Don't  contradict — 
don't  deny  !" 

"  I  have  no  intention  where  I  am  concerned,"  Aylmer 
replied,  "  but  in  regard  to — to  her — your  wisdom  is  at 
fault.  After  all,  why  should  she  care  for  me — what  man 
would  be  worthy " 

"Stuff!"  broke  in  the  professor.  "Nature  never  is 
guilty  of  that  kind  of  blunder.  No  matter  what  the  race 
or  the  sex  of  the  animal  she  has  in  hand,  she  always  makes 
a  mate  for  it — a  fitting  one,  too." 


"In  this  caoe,  though,  the  word  you  employ " 

"Come,  don't  fight  over  words!  If  you  are  offended 
because  I  said  animal,  I'll  substitute  swan — nightingale  !  I 
can't  go  so  far  as  seraph  to  content  you,  because  I  am  rnak- 


DIO  GENESIS   ADVICE.  189 

ing  a  statement  of  facts,  and,  therefore,  no  imaginary 
creature  will  serve  fur  a  comparison." 

''Confound  your  materialistic  ideas  !" 

"  I  did  not  dispute  the  existence  of  seraphs,  but  as  no- 
body ever  saw  one,  touched  one,  why  the  race  belongs  to 
the  domain  of  faith,  that's  all.  Come,  you  put  me  out — 
seraph,  if  you  insist  upon  it,  though  no  account  we  have  of 
the  myth  includes  females." 

"  What  a  provoking  old  wretch  you  are  !"  cried  Ayl- 
mer,  laughing  in  spite  of  himself. 

The  professor  laughed  too  ;  suddenly  he  checked  his 
merriment,  laid  his  hand  on  Aylmer's  arm,  and  said  in  an 
altered  voice — a  voice  positively  sweet  and  tremulous  with 
feeling  : 

"  Don't  think  me  a  nuisance  !  See  here — I  have  not 
been  so  fond  of  any  two  human  beings  in  double  the  years 
you  have  lived  as  I  am  of  you  and  her.  Believe  that,  and 
let  it  be  my  excuse." 

"  Dear  old  man  !  there  is  no  excuse  needed,"  returned 
Aylmer,  grasping  his  hand  cordially.  "I  don't  in  the  least 
mind  your  knowing  what  is  in  my  heart.  I  am  glad  to  talk 
to  you,  since  you  are  interested  enough  to  care." 

"  Care  !"  repeated  the  professor.  "  We  must  care 
about  something — something  human,  too.  No  matter  how 
old  and  ugly  we  get,  we  never  live  beyond  that  necessity. 
I  used  to  believe  we  could  ;  I  have  grown  wiser,  and  I 
know  that  existence  would  be  more  incomplete  than  it  is 
were  not  this  as  much  a  truth  as  any  axiom  in  geometry." 

Aylmer  only  answered  by  a  pressure  of  the  hand. 

"  Now,  according  to  the  verdict  of  the  whole  world, 
there  can  be  no  greater  instance  of  folly  than  a  man  well 
on  towards  seventy  holding  such  views  ;  so  if  I  called  you 
a  fool,  you  can  console  yourself  by  thinking  it  is  much  worse 
to  be  one  at  my  age  than  at  yours,"  continued  the  professor. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mind  admitting  that  I  am  a  fool,  but  yon 
must  give  me  something  else  than  your  last  declaration  as 
a  proof  of  your  folly  before  I  believe  in  it." 

"That's  because  it  happens  to  be  you  I  like.  Human 
vanity  always  stands  in  the  way  of  a  correct,  cool  judg- 
ment where  self  comes,"  said  the  professor,  dogmatically. 
"  Do  you  know  what  idea  will  disturb  her  when  she  begins 
to  see  the  truth  ?" 

Aylmer  intuitively  comprehended  what  his  friend  meant. 


190  BIOGENESIS   ADVICE. 

He  did  not  answer,  but  tbe  savant   went  on  as  if  he  had 
received  a  reply  : 

"Yes,  that  will  belt — her  seniority.  Now  I  dare  say 
that  as  a  rule  it  may  be  a  mistake  for  a  man  to  marry  a 
woman  older  than  himself — but  she  is  an  exception.  She  is 
more  beautiful  to-day  than  she  was  at  twenty — look  at 
her  picture — and  no  older.  At  forty-five  she  will  appear 
thirty — an  affair  of  physique — one  of  those  marvels  Na- 
ture occasionally  likes  to  show  us,  like " 

"Don't  !"  broke  in  Aylmer,  certain  that  the  professor, 
in  his  turn,  was  about  to  compare  her  to  Ninon. 

"  Ah,  I  understand.  But  all  that  feeling  about  De 
PEnclos  is  stuff  and  prejudice.  She  followed  natural 
selection.  Well,  well,  don't  fidget — leave  that  part.  This 
woman  to-day  is  years  younger  in  face  and  feeling  than 
you.  By  the  time  you  are  thirty-three  you  will  be  as  gray 
as  a  badger  where  you  are  not  bald,  and  so  grave  and  worn 
that  she  will  seem  girlish  beside  you." 

"  All  that  is  nothing !  If  I  could  only  believe  she 
cared — could  ever  be  brought  to  care  !" 

"  Bosh  !  nonsense  !  You  are  as  blind  as  a  bat — blinder  !" 
cried  the  professor.  "  And  you  are  going  to  work  just  the 
right  way  to  lose  her  !  Do  you  hear  ?  to — lose — her  !" 

"  I  have  tried  every " 

"  A  great  many  too  many  !  Leave  her  quiet,  that  is 
what  you  have  to  do.  Rouse  her  suddenly,  and  you'll 
frighten  her — she  will  arm  herself  with  scruples  and  send 
you  off  !  Let  her  alone,  and  she'll  float  on  unconsciously 
till  you  will  become  too  completely  master  for  her  even  to 
struggle  against  your  supremacy.  Why,  just  the  very 
name  she  gives  you  when  we  talk  together  shows  me  what 
delusive  haze  she  blinds  herself  under — 'our  friend  Lau- 
rence !' " 

"  Oh,  friendship — friendship!  she  is  always  bringing  me 
back  to  that !"  Aylmer  cried  impatiently. 

"  Exactly.  I  am  old  and  ugly,  but  I  know  how  she  is 
to  be  managed  better  than  you,  young  Adonis  on  a  colossal 
scale  though  you  be  !  I'd  help  you,  if  you  would  promise 
to  obey  implicitly." 

"  I  will  promise ;  I  am  at  the  end  of  my  own  re- 
sources." 

"  But  you'll  forget  to  keep  your  word  ;  you'll  hurry — 
go  frantic — upset  everything  at  some  inopportune  moment. 


A     GIRVS     TROUBLES.  191 

N"OJ  take  your  own  course  ;  I'll  not  meddle — take  it  and 
lose  her !" 

"  Come  now,  don't  be  a  monster.     Give  me  your  idea." 

"  Simply  to  carry  out  her  pet  theory — friendship — pure, 
simple,  poetical,  perfect  friendship  !  Let  her  think  she  has 
convinced  you  that  ought  to  be  the  only  tie  between  you, 
that  no  fancy  or  whim  any  longer  disturbs  your  peace.  Of 
course  you  are  not  to  adopt  this  line  too  abruptly  ;  work 
up  to  it  gradually." 

"After  all,  she  wouldn't  be  a  woman  if  she  were  con- 
tent, even  if  she  never  learns  to  love  me." 

"  The  first  sensible  thing  you  have  said  yet.  Of  course 
she'll  not  be  content,  and  her  dissatisfaction,  after  trying 
to  believe  she  has  reached  the  state  of  affairs  she  wanted, 
will  win  you  your  prize." 

"  To  wait,  to  be  patient  when  one's  very  heart  is  on 
fire  ! — I  don't  care  if  I  am  talking  like  a  fool,  it  is  such  a 
relief  ! — do  literally  nothing " 

"  That  your  role — masterly  inactivity.  Always  difficult 
for  human  nature  ;  it  wants  to  manage,  direct — like  me,  for 
instance." 

"  But  your  idea  is  the  right  one,  I  am  convinced  of  that." 

"  Then  follow  it,  and  in  less  than  six  months  you  will 
have  reason  to  thank  me  for  giving  it.  Come,  I  am  going 
home  to  bed  ;  I  can't  lose  my  sleep  worrying  over  your 
affairs." 

He  put  his  arm  through  Aylmer's  with  a  gentleness  that 
belied  his  brusque  words,  and  they  walked  on  in  silence. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

A   GIEL'S   TKOUBLES. 

T  must  be  admitted  that  the  two  cousins  began 
their  intercourse  with  certain  preconceived 
opinions  on  either  side  which  seemed  likely  to 
prevent  a  thorough  understanding  or  warm 
friendship  making  rapid  growth  between  them. 
Mary  was  remorsefully  conscious  that  on  the  day  of  her 


192  A     GIRL'S     TROUBLES. 

arrival  she  had  behaved  in  a  way  which  could  scarcely  fail 
to  prejudice  Violet  against  her,  and  this  consciousness  ren- 
dered her  for  a  time  troubled  and  embarrassed  under  her 
relative's  good-natured  effort  towards  acquaintance. 

Unfortunately,  embarrassment  with  Mary  took  a  form 
which  caused  her  to  appear  stiff  and  unresponsive.  She 
was  constantly  haunted  by  the  idea  that  she,  a  grown 
woman,  had  no  right  to  settle  down  in  idle  content  upon 
the  bounty  of  another  woman.  Worried,  too,  by  fear  that 
she  must  be  awkward  and  provincial,  liable  at  every  turn 
to  shock  this  elegant  Violet,  whom  she  saw  courted  by  per- 
sons the  very  mention  of  whose  names  seemed  to  Mary  like 
reading  a  romance.  Mary  did  not  mean  the  rich  people  or 
the  people  with  grand  titles  who  gladly  bent  at  Miss  Cam- 
eron's feet,  but  the  authors  and  painters  and  sculptors  she 
had  dreamed  of — men  who  had  won  a  position  in  the  world 
by  their  genius — to  find  herself  in  the  same  room  with 
whom  caused  the  girl's  heart  to  thrill  in  that  enthusiasm 
which  is  so  charming  at  her  age,  laugh  at  it  as  cynically  as 
we  older  critics  may. 

And  Mary  had  a  great  horror  of  being  laughed  at ;  she 
would  not  for  worlds  have  allowed  anybody  to  know  that 
a  few  days  after  her  arrival  in  Florence  she  took  advantage 
of  Violet's  and  Miss  Bronson's  absence,  and  while  Clarice 
supposed  her  tranquilly  and  correctly  strolling  about  the 
garden,  she  had  entered  a  cab,  given  the  order  "  Casa 
Guidi "  to  the  coachman,  and  driven  away  to  worship  the 
dwelling  rendered  sacred  by  having  been  the  home  of  Eng- 
land's greatest  poetess. 

The  coachman  did  not  seem  surprised  that  when  they 
reached  the  house  she  sat  still  and  stared  up  at  the  win- 
dows ;  no  doubt  he  had  carried  more  than  one  young  en- 
thusiast on  a  similar  errand.  He  descended  from  his  perch 
and  leaned  in  at  the  carriage  door,  talking  volubly,  and 
though  her  limited  knowledge  of  Italian  prevented  her  un- 
derstanding all  that  he  said,  she  did  comprehend  that  he 
was  speaking  of  Elisabetta  Browninga  and  claiming  her  as 
"la  nostra"  with  as  much  assurance  as  he  would  have  done 
Michel  Angelo,  and  she  felt  unlimited  confidence  in  him  at 
once. 

That  confidence  was  a  little  shaken  presently.  On  gain- 
ing the  street  that  led  into  the  piazza  where  the  Arnaldi 
Palace  stood,  she  motioned  him  to  stop  ;  but  when  she  ten- 


A     GIRVS     TROUBLES.  193 

dered  the  legal  fare  he  tinblushingly,  though  very  insinua- 
tingly, demanded  double  the  sum.  Mary,  in  spite  of  her  ro- 
mance, was  a  practical  soul,  and  she  had  taken  pains  in  ad- 
vance to  ask  Miss  Bronson  casually  the  price  per  hour  ;  and 
now,  though  frightened,  she  laid  on  the  seat  the  correct 
amount,  and  informed  the  faithless  man  by  a  very  expres- 
sive gesture  that  he  could  take  it  or  leave  it  at  his  pleasure 
— she  was  not  to  be  cheated.  And  he  understood  as  plainly 
as  if  she  had  spoken  in  pure  Tuscan,  and  liked  her  the  bet- 
ter for  her  shrewdness,  assisting  her  with  elaborate  courtesy 
to  alight,  and  Italian-like,  sending  a  benediction  after  her 
pretty  face  into  the  bargain. 

Mary  felt  guilty,  but  very  happy,  as  she  hurried  through 
the  square  and  entered  the  house,  unperceived,  as  she  fondly 
hoped.  She  might  have  been,  so  far  as  the  ducal-looking 
porter  was  concerned,  for  he  sat  serenely  dozing  in  the 
depths  of  his  retreat ;  but  unfortunately  the  Argus-eyed 
Antonio,  returning  from  his  daily  walk,  crossed  the  street 
just  as  she  stopped  the  carriage.  Antonio  gave  one  glance 
to  assure  himself  that  his  wandering  sight  had  not  cheated 
him,  then  plunged  into  the  shadow  of  a  porte-coch&re,  and 
watched  to  see  what  she  would  do  next.  Hurrying  home 
as  fast  as  her  feet  would  carry  her  ;  but  where  had  she 
been? — that  was  the  question  !  Antonio's  heart  sank  be- 
neath a  virtuous  pang  !  He  had  served  in  too  many  high 
and  mighty  families,  and  grown  familiar  with  "  the  ways 
that  are  dark  "  of  too  many  demoiselles  of  lofty  descent,  not 
to  entertain  certain  suspicions  in  regard  to  her  escapade, 
and  indeed  the  only  thing  which  astonished  him  was  that 
he  could  have  been  sufficiently  mistaken  in  this  fawn-eyed 
American  girl  to  feel  any  surprise. 

"  But  she  looked  so  innocent — she  did  indeed  ;  and  to 
think  of  my  being  deluded  by  that  !"  Antonio  thought. 
Then,  a  little  to  soften  his  feeling  of  humiliation,  he  added  : 
"  After  all,  she  is  a  woman  !  Solomon  himself  was  deceived 
to  the  last  !" 

All  day  and  all  the  evening  did  Antonio  meditate  over 
his  discovery,  and  try  for  means  to  warn  Miss  Cameron 
that  she  ought  to  keep  a  sharp  watch  upon  her  cousin,  with- 
out at  the  same  time  exposing  the  young  lady's  delinquency; 
for,  in  spite  of  the  belief  forced  upon  him  by  experience, 
he  hesitated  to  believe  as  ill  of  this  innocent-looking  crea- 
ture as  his  reflections  warned  him  it  was  his  duty  to  do. 
9 


194  A     O1RUS     TROUBLES. 

He  bore  his  indecision  and  trouble  with  the  exemplary 
patience  which  characterized  him  ;  attended  on  the  ladies 
at  dinner  ;  even  deprived  himself  of  the  solace  of  his  club 
in  order  to  have  ample  leisure  to  decide  upon  his  line  of 
conduct.  But  when  his  mistress  came  home  from  the  opera 
and  paused  in  the  anteroom  to  speak  a  pleasant  word  to 
him,  as  was  her  wont,  duty  conquered.  He  must  be  just  to 
his  lady,  even  though  he  sacrificed  the  demoiselle  with  eyes 
like  a  fawn  and  tricks  that  would  have  been  appropriate  to 
some  more  feline-orbed  animal. 

"  Signora !"  he  sighed,  as  Miss  Cameron  moved  on. 
His  voice  sounded  so  doleful  that  Violet  turned  back,  and 
as  she  glanced  at  him  the  mournful  expression  of  his  face, 
eloquent  with  sorrow  and  a  determination  to  fulfill  his  duty 
at  all  costs,  caused  her  to  smile,  supposing,  from  her  knowl- 
edge of  his  character,  that  an  infinitesimal  dereliction  on 
his  own  part,  or  that  of  some  other  member  of  the  house- 
hold, occasioned  this  tragic  demeanor. 

"  What  is  it?"  she  asked,  laughing.  "  Have  you  broken 
one  of  my  china  images,  or  has  Clarice  smiled  at  the  new 
footman  ?" 

And  to  excuse  her  lack  of  dignity,  I  must  remind  the 
reader  she  had  lived  so  long  in  France  and  Italy  that  she 
had  forgotten  it  was  indecorous  to  address  a  servant  as  a 
human  being,  even  after  years  of  such  attachment  as  An- 
tonio had  shown. 

"  Ah,  mademoiselle,  it  is  more  serious  than  that,"  re- 
plied Antonio,  looking  ready  to  cry. 

He  told  his  story  at  last,  with  much  circumlocution  and 
all  sorts  of  kindly  efforts  to  soften  the  blow,  and  thus  ren- 
dered his  account  enigmatical  and  appalling.  Violet's  first 
impulse  was  to  tell  him  a  fib — say  that  she  had  been  aware 
of  the  expedition.  But  she  knew  that  such  shallow  subter- 
fuge could  not  deceive  Antonio  ;  on  the  contrary,  any  at- 
tempt to  screen  the  delinquent  would  only  rouse  darker 
suspicions  in  his  mind,  so  she  said  gravely  : 

"  You  were  quite  right  to  tell  me,  but  you  must  not 
think  rny  cousin  had  any  secret  to  keep — she  probably 
wanted  to  visit  one  of  the  galleries  or  churches  by  herself. 
You  know  English  and  American  girls,  when  they  are  new 
to  the  Continent,  forget  that  many  things,  perfectly  correct 
at  home,  are  not  permissible  here." 

Antonio  caught  eagerly  at  this  possible  excuse  for  the 


A     GIRDS     TROUBLES.  195 

stranger,  in  favor  of  whom  lie  had  the  prejudice  any  man, 
whatever  his  degree,  has  for  a  pretty  face,  and  after 
begging  mademoiselle  to  excuse  his  interference,  and  to 
believe  that  he  was  actuated  by  a  strict  sense  of  duty,  he 
bowed  himself  out  of  the  room. 

Violet  felt  it  necessary  to  speak  to  Mary,  and  though 
she  had  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  as  to  the  entire  innocence 
of  the  expedition,  she  dreaded  rendering  the  task  of  making 
acquaintance  with  her  cousin  more  difficult  by  assuming  the 
character  of  judge  or  inquisitor. 

"  She  gets  on  better  with  Miss  Bronson,"  thought 
Violet  ;  "  but  if  I  set  poor  Eliza  to  arrange  the  matter,  she 
will  blunder,  and  cause  Mary  to  believe  me  a  regular 
Gorgon.  Really,  although  I  was  a  governess  for  so  many 
years,  I  am  afraid  nature  did  not  mean  me  to  be  a  guardian 
of  young  ladies.  I  am  quite  at  a  loss  what  to  do." 

As  soon  as  she  had  taken  off  her  evening  dress,  and  had 
her  heavy  masses  of  hair  freed  from  their  confinement  and 
left  to  stray  over  her  shoulders  in  a  fashion  which  made 
her  perfectly  bewildering  in  her  loveliness,  she  sent  Clarice 
away,  and  sat  down  to  meditate  upon  the  wisest  course  of 
conduct — naturally,  first  pausing  to  cast  a  little  blame  on 
poor  Antonio. 

"  If  he  hadn't  eyes  all  over  his  head,  and  wasn't  always 
in  twenty  places  at  once,  he  would  not  have  seen  her,  and 
then  there  would  be  no  difficulty,"  she  reflected  impa- 
tiently. 

The  doors  which  connected  the  rooms  that  comprised 
her  suite  of  private  apartments  stood  open,  according  to 
habit,  a  sense  of  space  being  one  of  the  necessities  of  her 
nature.  She  began  walking  up  and  down — "prowling,"  as 
Nina  Magnoletti  styled  the  performance,  with  that  intimate 
knowledge  of  English,  including  even  slang-phrases,  which 
characterizes  an  educated  Russian. 

As  Violet  paused  in  her  march,  and  stood  in  her  bed- 
chamber, she  was  startled  by  a  sound  like  a  stifled  sob. 
She  listened,  and  presently  heard  the  noise  more  distinctly. 
Her  fancy  had  not  deceived  her — it  was  a  sob,  and  it  came 
from  her  cousin's  room. 

She  pushed  back  the  thick  curtains  which  hung  over  the 
arch,  opened  the  door,  and  entered.  A  night-lamp  burned 
dimly  on  a  table  ;  by  its  light  she  could  see  Mary  sitting 
up  in  bed,  weeping  as  if  her  heart  would  break. 


196  A     GIRVS     TROUBLES. 

Whatever  its  cause,  there  was  a  real  sorrow  here,  and 
Violet  forgot  everything  in  her  desire  to  soothe  it. 

"  Mary  !"  she  said,  moving  quickly  across  the  floor. 
"  Dear  little  cousin,  what  is  the  matter  ?  Don't  think  we 
are  strangers — remember  that  we  are  relatives — that  I  want 
to  love  you  very  much  !  If  you  have  any  trouble,  let  me 
share  it." 

"  Oh,  oh  !"  shivered  Mary,  in  a  fright  at  this  sudden  en- 
trance. But  the  touch  of  the  caressing  arms  folded  about 
her  subdued  the  alarm,  and  presently  she  was  able  to  answer 
Violet's  pleadings.  "  It's  only  that  I'm  a  fool — no  less.  I 
have  been  ever  since  I  got  here.  There  is  nothing  else  the 
matter.  I  am  so  sorry  I  wakened  you  ;  I  forgot  that  your 
bedroom  was  next.  I  didn't  mean  to  make  a  noise — indeed 
I  did  not." 

"  Then  I  am  glad  you  sobbed  louder  than  you  intended," 
returned  Violet,  speaking  playfully,  in  the  hope  of  thus 
restoring  her  composure. 

"  You — you  will  hate  me  for  disturbing  you  !"  groaned 
Mary. 

"  Why,  what  a  cross  old  thing  you  must  think  me  !" 
said  Violet,  with  good-natured  raillery. 

"  No,  no  !  You  are  so  beautiful — and  you  seem  so 
young  !  Why,  that's  part  of  it  !  Every  time  I  look  at 
you,  I  am  so  ashamed  of  that  contemptible  little  speech  the 
day  I  came." 

"  Part  of  what,  dear  ?  Come  now,  don't  cry  !  Let's 
get  at  the  bottom  of  the  matter  and  understand  each  other, 
and  be  good  friends.  I  often  feel  the  need  of  a  sensible 
little  body  to  whom  I  can  tell  all  my  nonsensical  feelings," 
said  Violet,  inspired  by  a  great  sympathy  for  the  poor  girl 
as  she  remembered  the  troubles  which  had  come  so  sud- 
denly upon  her  own  girlhood  ;  conscious,  too,  that  she  had 
rather  put  Mary  aside  since  her  arrival,  and  remorseful 
from  a  fear  that  the  child's  distress  might  rise  out  of  this 
very  fact. 

"  Oh,  I  used  to  think  I  was  sensible,"  replied  Mary,  dry- 
ing her  eyes  with  the  sleeve  of  her  night-gown,  "  but  I 
have  behaved  so  like  an  idiot  ever  since  I  came,  that  I 
begin  to  believe  I  must  always  have  been  one  without 
knowing  it." 

"  The  thing  is  not  to  find  it  out,"  said  Violet  ;  "  I've  no 
doubt  I  have  been  a  goose  for  a  great  deal  longer  than  you 


A     GIRDS     TROUBLES.  197 

are  years  old,  but  I  prefer  to  remain  innocent  of  the  knowl- 
edge." 

She  laughed  and  made  Mary  laugh  too,  though  in  a 
somewhat  tumultuous,  nervous  fashion. 

"  You  are  so  good  to  me  !"  cried  she.  "  And  that 
makes  me  feel  all  the  more  guilty  !" 

"Good  heavens,  child,  don't  say  such  things!"  ex- 
claimed Violet,  a  little  startled  by  the  strong  term  the  girl 
employed,  even  while  telling  herself  it  had  no  significance 
— proceeded  merely  from  the  exaggeration  of  thought  and 
language  natural  at  eighteen.  "Just  tell  me  what  you  do 
mean  !  Come,  dear,  this  is  quite  the  hour  for  confidence  ; 
maybe  you  and  I  will  not  find  in  months  so  good  an  op- 
portunity for  getting  really  acquainted  and  growing  fond 
of  each  other,  as  we  ought  to  be,  since  neither  possesses 
another  near  relative  in  the  world." 

"That  is  it  too — just  another  part  of  it  !"  cried  Mary, 
and  the  very  assurance  she  appeared  to  have  that  her  ex- 
clamation rendered  her  troubles  clear,  left  the  phrase  still 
more  mysterious  and  annoying. 

"  A  part  of  what  ?"  demanded  Violet,  inclined  to  grow 
exasperated,  as  one  is  when  self-convicted  of  having  been 
impulsive,  even  "gushing,"  to  no  purpose.  But  she  con- 
trolled her  impatience,  and  added,  "Now  begin  at  the 
beginning,  as  the  children  say  when  they  are  promised  a 
story.  I  can't  answer  as  I  ought  if  you  talk  in  riddles." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  stupid  !"  replied  Mary. 

Violet  caught  herself  thinking  rather  cynically  that 
doubtless  some  bit  of  girlish  romantic  folly  lay  at  the  bot- 
tom of  this  agitation — that  really  it  required  more  patience 
than  she  possessed  to  fill  well  her  role  of  elder  cousin  if 
such  scenes  were  to  occur  frequently  !  Yes,  yes  ;  some 
missish  fancy  and  disappointment — some  elegy  over  a  dis- 
turbed dream  as  empty  as  it  was  poetical — these  were  the 
sorrows  she  must  hear  chanted.  Could  the  hero  be  Lau- 
rence Aylmer  ?  She  stopped  short  in  her  reflection,  called 
herself  a  heartless,  crabbed,  envious  old  maid,  and  held 
Mary  tighter  in  her  embrace,  determined  not  only  to  dis- 
play, but  to  feel  sympathy,  whatever  the  tidings  which 
awaited  her. 

"Arpartof  what,  childie  ?"  she  repeated,  pressing  her 
lips  on  Mary's  forehead.  "  There  !  I  seldom  kiss  even  Nina 
Magnoletti ;  if  that  does  not  unlock  your  pretty  mouth  I 


198  A     GIRDS     TROUBLES. 

am  at  the  end  of  my  resources,"  and  was  quite  unaware 
what  absolute  arrogance  and  complete  faith  in  the  potency 
of  her  own  fascinations  the  sentence  implied. 

"Yes,"  said  Mary,  speaking  somewhat  breathlessly; 
"  I'll  tell  you — I'd  rather  tell  you  ;  I  mightn't  get  the  cour- 
age again,  and  I  should  seem  so  ungrateful  !  But  I  could 
not  stay — indeed  I  could  not,  unless — unless  we  had  it  out," 
she  added,  taking  refuge  in  the  expressive  school-girl 
phrase,  after  trying  in  vain  to  substitute  one  more  elegant. 
"  If  you  really  do  blame  him,  it  would  be  so  mean  of  me  to 
live  on — on  your  bounty — and  oh,  I  hate  the  idea,  anyway  ! 
I  am  grown  up  ;  I  ought  to  take  care  of  myself — and  then 
it  seems  more  wicked  than  all  the  rest  to  think  of  that ! 
And  oh,  sometimes  I  wish  I  had  been  drowned  coming 
over,  and  then  there  would  have  been  an  end  of  it  all  !" 

She  pushed  Violet  almost  harshly  away,  and  buried  her 
head  in  the  pillow  ;  and  Violet,  certain  now  that  she  had  to 
deal  with  some  real  sorrow,  forgot  her  impatience,  put 
aside  every  personal  sensation  in  her  longing  to  comfort 
this  girlish  sufferer,  who  looked  like  the  phantom  of  her 
own  early  youth,  moaning  in  the  desolation  which  overtook 
it  so  unexpectedly,  but  which  no  human  creature  had  pos- 
sessed the  power  or  even  the  desire  to  console. 

Violet  was  too  thoroughly  versed  in  the  ways  of  her 
sex  to  increase  Mary's  agitation  by  petting  or  weeping 
with  her,  though,  as  a  reversion  from  her  recent  cynical 
thoughts,  she  felt  strongly  inclined  to  lay  her  head  down 
by  Mary's  and  sob  too.  For  no  reason,  she  took  pains  to 
assure  her  conscience,  only  because  ashamed  of  her  own 
hardness,  and  because  the  sight  of  tears  always  made  any 
woman  a  little  hysterical.  Women  were  always  wi'etched- 
ly  weak  creatures,  she  mentally  added,  with  a  misanthropy 
for  which  she  would  have  soundly  rated  Nina  Magnoletti, 
had  she  ventured  to  display  it. 

"  Now  you  are  such  a  sensible  little  body,"  said  Violet, 
calling  herself  to  account  as  well  as  Mary,  in  this  assurance, 
"  that  I  know  you  mean  to  sit  up  directly  and  tell  me  all 
about  it  !  Why  should  you  think  of  going  away?  My 
dear,  your  natural  home  is  with  me.  Girls  must  have  a 
home,  however  clever  and  brave  they  may  be  ;  I  know  that 
by  experience." 

"  Why,  that's  the  rest  of  it !"  cried  Mary,  lifting  her 
tear-stained  face. 


A     GIRDS     TROUBLES.  199 

"Good!"  pronounced  Violet.  "Now  that  we  have 
arrived  at  the  whole,  in  its  entirety,  as  the  newspapers  say, 
try  to  make  me  understand  what  it  is  all  about." 

"  She  said  it  was  through  papa,"  returned  Mary, 
with  an  ominous  sob,  quickly  checked.  "He  lost  your 
money,  and  you  had  to  go  to  teaching  !  And  oh  !  if  you 
think  ho  did  it  on  purpose — if  you  think  he  wasn't  honest, 
let  me  go  away  !  I'd  rather  starve  than  live  with  anybody 
who  could  believe  ill  of  my  father  !" 

"  Ah,  it  is  all  clear  !"  exclaimed  Violet,  with  an  odd  feel- 
ing of  relief  at  discovering  that  Mary's  trouble  related  to 
her  dead  parent.  "  Eliza  Bronson  has  been  talking  to  you. 
My  poor  Eliza  !  she  is  the  best  soul  in  the  world,  and 
whatever  she  ought  not  to  say  is  the  very  thing  she  always 
says.  My  dear,  you  must  learn  not  to  mind  her  talk  ;  if  I 
did,  a  hundred  times  a  day  I  should  think  myself  a  lost 
soul,  both  for  this  world  and  the  next." 

"You  want  to  make  me  laugh — you  want  to  turn  it 
off  !"  cried  Mary.  "  I'll  not  let  you — it  is  not  kind  !  If 
I  am  to  speak  out,  you  must  also  !  He  did  lose  your  money 
— she  said  so — but  oh,  if  you  think  he  was  dishonest " 

"  I  have  no  harsh  feeling  towards  your  father,  Mary," 
Violet  interrupted  ;  "  if  I  had,  I  should  not  have  asked  you 
to  live  in  my  house.  I  have  the  letters  he  wrote  me  ;  you 
shall  read  them  ;  they  will  satisfy  you  ;"  and  she  was  care- 
ful to  put  no  audible  emphasis  on  the  final  pronoun,  though 
she  did  internally.  "  My  father's  affairs  were  left  in  a  bad 
state  by  his  sudden  death  ;  my  cousin  George  did  what  he 
could  ;  you  will  see  that  by  his  letters.  Now  understand 
that  I  have  no  harsh  feeling  in  my  mind." 

"  Oh,  I  knew  nobody  could  blame  papa  who  really  was 
acquainted  with  him  !"  said  Mary,  then  adding  quickly, 
"  But  you  went  to  earn  your  living  ;  you  did  not  stop  de- 
pendent on  him." 

"  Your  father  was  at  that  time  in  difficulties  himself — 
he  told  me  so,"  Violet  replied,  giving  that  last  clause  a  sig- 
nificance to  her  own  mind  which  did  not  reach  Mary's. 
"He  offered  me  a  home — recollect  that!  Come,  do  not 
make  me  say  that  I  was  headstrong  and  obstinate,  in  order 
to  convince  you  that  you  would  be  wrong  to  rush  out  to 
battle  with  the  world,  when  you  can  be  guarded  and  taken 
care  of — have  love,  too,  if  you  will  accept  it." 

"  Indeed  I  will  !"  cried  Marv.     "  I'm.  more   ashamed 


200  A     GIRDS     TROUBLES. 

than  ever  of  myself — but  I  am  glad  it  has  all  been  said  ! 
Oh,  I  have  been  so  lonesome — tormented  myself  so  !" 

"  My  dear,  perhaps  I  was  wrong  to  leave  you  so  much. 
I  thought  you  would  get  on  better  first  with  Eliza,  as  you 
seemed  a  little  shy  with  me.  I  forgot  her  unfortunate 
genius  for  blundering." 

"  Oh,  that  is  no  matter  now — don't  blame  her  !"  said 
Mary.  "And  it  was  my  fault  that  you  left  me  to  her. 
Oh,  I  have  been  so  ashamed  ;  I  don't  know  what  ailed  me 
the  day  I  got  here.  Why,  I  made  a  regular  prickly  pear  of 
myself  !" 

"Let  us  say  a  moss  rose-bud,  very  imperfectly  devel- 
oped," laughed  Violet,  glad  so  easily  to  have  set  the  girl's 
mind  at  rest.  "But  you  understand  that  I  did  not  mean 
to  be  selfish.  As  your  mourning  prevents  your  going  into 
society,  I  thought  Eliza  would  take  you  about  to  the  galle- 
ries, and  see  after  Italian  lessons  and  music,  if  you 
liked  it." 

"  Oh,  she  is  very  good,"  sighed  Mary.  "  I  am  so 
wicked  !  Now,  I  love  music,  but  I  can't  bear  to  study  the 
piano,  and  she  was  so  hurt  when  I  said  it.  And  she  wants 
me  to  write  long  letters  to  nobody,  to  improve  my  style. 
And,  oh,  Violet,  it  seems  sacrilege  to  hear  her  talk  in  the 
galleries  !  She  won't  let  me  admire  anything  unless  the 

fuide-book  says  I  shall,  and  she  drives  me  quite  frantic  ! 
am  so  bad  !" 

"  So  am  I — be  consoled,"  returned  Violet.  "  Come,  you 
shan't  be  given  over  to  her  tender  mercies  !  You  see,  you 
are  such  a  prim,  proper  little  thing,  that  I  never  dreamed 
of  your  showing  your  relationship  to  me  by  having  an  ill- 
regulated  mind." 

"  Oh,  I  shall  never  be  like  you  !"  said  Mary.  "And  she 
says — Miss  Bronson  says — it  is  immodest  to  draw  from 
casts,  and  that  is  the  only  thing  I  care  for  ;  and  I  hoped 
sometime,  perhaps,  I  could  be  a  sculptor — other  women 
have.  Oh,  don't  think  I'm  a  fool  !  And  when  she  saw,  by 
accident,  a  little  figure  I  had  tried  to  do,  she  cried  and 
wrung  her  hands,  and  begged  me  never  to  let  anybody 
dream  that  I  had  any  such  talent ;  she  said  it  was  so 
unladylike." 

"  ™y  good  Eliza  !  Well,  well,  I  am  neither  good  nor 
ladylike,  according  to  her  ideas  !  To-morrow  we  will  look 
at  that  figure." 


A     GIRDS     TROUBLES.  201 

"Oh,  I  broke  it!"  interrupted  Mary— "  I  did!  She 
thought  I  was  penitent,  but  I  was  angry — and  I  oughtn't 
to  have  been.  You  can  see  how  horrid  I  am  !" 

Here  was  her  commonplace  little  charge  turning  out  an 
embryo  artist,  with  aspirations  and  longings  ;  well,  Violet 
liked  that  better  than  the  prosaic  conception  of  her  own  to 
which  she  had  given  the  girl's  name.  They  conversed  for 
a  long  time,  and  Mary  had  completely  recovered  her  peace 
of  mind  before  Violet  remembered  Antonio's  revelation, 
and  then  it  was  difficult  to  speak,  but  she  did,  and  found 
relief  in  Mary's  confession. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  find  you  are  a  romantic  puss,"  said  she. 
"I  felt  quite  afraid  of  you,  you  seemed  so  superior." 

"  Oh  !  And  I  thought  you  would  consider  me  an 
idiot  !" 

"My  dear,  I  once  walked  ten  miles  to  sit  on  a  stone 
where  they  said  Washington  Irving  used  to  sit.  There,  now 
you  perceive  that  where  what  Eliza  would  call  folly,  is  con- 
cerned, I  can  sympathize  to  any  extent." 

They  might  have  talked  on,  oblivious  of  the  lapse  of 
time — Mary  entranced,  Violet  feeling  more  and  more  as  if 
she  were  holding  communion  with  that  dreamy  phantom  of 
her  girlhood — but  they  were  disturbed  by  a  sudden  loud 
knocking  on  the  wall  in  Miss  Bronson's  bedroom. 

"  Oh,  good  gracious  !"  exclaimed  Violet,  "  we  have 
wakened  her  ;  oh,  shan't  we  catch  it  !  I  feel  as  if  we  were 
both  in  a  boarding-school,  and  had  just  been  surprised  in 
flayrante  delictu  by  the  lady-abbess." 

"She's  coming — I  hear  her  !"  whispered  Mary,  choking 
with  laughter. 

The  corridor-door  opened,  and  the  spinster  appeared 
on'the  threshold,  looking  about  ten  feet  high  in  a  loose  flan- 
nel dressing-gown,  with  a  row  of  curl-papers  sticking  out 
like  miniature  horns  along  her  forehead.  She  carried 
a  candle  in  her  hand,  which  she  held  aloft,  regarding  the 
pair  with  great  severity. 

"  Is  either  of  you  ill?"  she  asked. 

"  No,  no,"  said  Violet  ;  "  we  got  to  talking  and  didn't 
remember  how  late  it  was." 

"And  we  are  so  sorry  to  have  disturbed  you  !"  added 
Mary. 

"  That  is  of  no  consequence,  though  of  course  now  I 
must  lie  awake  the  rest  of  the  night,"  returned  Miss  Bron- 
9* 


202  BEFORE     THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT. 

son  ;  "but  it  is  important  to  keep  regular  hours  at  Mary 
Danvers's  age.  Violet,  I  am  surprised  at  your  forgetting 
the  fact." 

"  I'm  a  miserable  sinner  ;  I'll  never  do  it  again — please 
don't  scold  !" 

"I  hope  I  never  scold,"  said  the  spinster,  in  an  injured 
tone. 

"  Oh,  Eliza,  you  do  look  so  funny  !"  cried  Violet,  giving 
way  to  her  laughter,  in  which  Mary  joined. 

Miss  Bronson  read  them  a  long  lecture  on  their  present 
iniquity  and  the  general  misconduct  of  their  lives,  then  con- 
sented to  be  appeased,  and  was  made  to  laugh  too,  and  forgot 
to  drive  them  to  bed  for  a  full  half  hour  afterward. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

BEFORE  THE  POPE'S  POETRAIT. 

0,  sooner  than  could  have  been  expected  from 
the  unpromising  aspect  of  affairs  on  her  arrival, 
Mary  Danvers  found  her  own  particular  niche 
in  her  cousin's  home — fitted  into  it  so  perfectly 
that  she  was  at  ease  herself  and  a  pleasure  and 
satisfaction  to  Violet  and  her  household. 

Miss  Bronson  was  highly  elated  at  the  good  understand- 
ing between  the  two,  and  expressed  her  sentiments  with  a 
delicious  blunder-headedness  which,  in  the  case  of  many 
women,  would  have  served  to  alienate  the  two  relatives  for- 
ever. 

"  I  told  you  how  sweet  she  was  ;  I  begged  you  to  have 
patience  and  study  her.  I  am  glad  that  I  have  convinced 
you  at  last !"  she  would  say  to  Violet. 

"  My  dear,  you  had  only  one  grave  fault  in  my  eyes — I 
thought  you  did  not  quite — quite  do  justice  to  your  incom- 
parable cousin  !"  was  her  reproachful  plaint  to  Mary. 

Now  in  order  fully  to  appreciate  the  situation,  it  must  be 
understood  that  she  uttered  these  remarks  when  both  ladies 
were  in  the  room  ;  calling  first  one,  then  the  other,  under 
transpai-ent  pretexts  of  asking  advice  concerning  her 


BEFORE     THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT  203 

worsted-work,  or  to  read  aloud  some  passage  from  a  book, 
and  framing  her  jubilant  sentences  in  a  tone  perfectly 
audible  to  whichever  of  the  pair  she  supposed  in  delightful 
ignorance  of  her  words. 

Violet  and  Mary  laughed  heartily  in  private  over  her 
manias,  and  the  fact  of  sharing  a  secret  subject  of  amuse- 
ment brought  them  still  closer  together,  as  such  confidences 
always  do  people  who  have  a  keen  sense  of  the  ludicrous  ; 
and  that  quality  Mary  Danvers  proved,  to  Violet's  satis- 
faction, to  possess  in  a  high  state  of  development,  in  spite 
of  her  demure  ways. 

And  Violet,  influenced  by  complex  motives,  as  people 
usually  are  in  their  conduct,  gave  a  great  deal  of  time  to 
her  young  cousin's  society  ;  partly  because  she  was  attracted 
towards  the  girl  now  that  she  found  what  an  impetuous, 
aspiring  soul  lived  under  that  restrained  exterior,  partly 
out  of  kindness,  in  order  that  the  child  might  not  again 
feel  lonely  and  desolate  ;  and  a  little  from  hen  spoiled 
princess  gratification  in  a  new  plaything.  But  she  re- 
mained unconscious  that  this  latter  reason  existed,  and  it  is 
only  justice  to  her  to  add  that  she  would  have  been  heartily 
ashamed  of  her  own  pettiness  had  she  discovered  the  fact. 

She  spent  a  great  many  mornings  in  going  about  to  the 
galleries  with  her  charge,  refusing  engagements,  and  deny- 
ing herself  to  friends  in  order  to  do  this,  and  was  amply 
repaid  for  any  slight  sacrifice  of  pleasure  by  Mary's  enthu- 
siastic delight,  which,  her  fears  once  removed,  she  disr 
played  to  Violet  as  freely  as  if  she  had  been  thinking  aloud. 

The  more  she  became  acquainted  with  the  girl  the  more 
genuine  grew  Violet's  liking,  and  her  impulsiveness — that 
long  and  uselessly-combated  weakness  of  her  nature — 
helped  to  render  her  admiring,  because  she  recollected  with 
a  somewhat  exaggerated  self-reproach,  that  at  first  she  had 
been  inclined  to  underrate  her  relation. 

The  very  discrepancies  in  Mary's  character  interested, 
even  pleased  her.  The  girl  had  led  a  life  of  singular 
repression  between  the  two  antagonistic  influences — her 
father's  and  stepmother's — under  which  she  had  grown  up. 
Violet,  in  her  fanciful  way,  used  secretly  to  compare  her  to 
a  wild  flower  early  transplanted  into  a  garden  and  taught  to 
grow  primly  and  according  to  rule,  taking  so  kindly  to  the 
training  that  it  learned  to  stand  erect  and  well-regulated, 
only  showing  here  and  there,  if  one  examined  closely,  cer- 


204      BEFORE  THE  POPE'S  PORTRAIT. 

tain  tendrils  beneath  its  leaves  stretching  out  to  the  right 
and  left  in  a  discursive  fashion,  which  gave  signs  of  the 
adventurous  spirit  it  would  have  possessed  had  it  been  left 
free  to  follow  the  dictates  of  nature. 

Mary  would  not  in  the  least  have  answered  for  a  mod- 
ern girl-heroine,  according  to  the  type  presented  in  auto- 
biographical novels  written  by  the  women  of  our  day. 
These  heroines  are  always  blowsy,  not  to  say  dirty  ;  great 
stress  is  laid  upon  the  fact  that  their  dresses  are  invariably 
crumpled  and  torn,  their  shoes  down  at  the  heel,  and  their 
hair  in  a  state  of  disorder  which  defies  description.  These 
heroines  never  "  weep  "  as  those  of  old-fashioned  romances 
did  ;  they  never  cry  as  girls  do  in  real  life — they  "blub- 
ber;" they  never  laugh  either — they  "yell;"  they  never 
kiss  their  fathers,  they  "  give  the  governor  a  resounding 
smack  on  each  side  his  dear  old  ugly  face,  which  knocks 
his  bat  off  ;"  and  when  the  unexpected  appearance  of  their 
lovers  causes  them  any  emotion,  it  is  not  what  the  anti- 
quated novelists  would  have  called  "  a  thrill  of  blissful 
confusion,"  nor  what  we  should  term  in  ordinary  parlance  a 
natural  embarrassment,  it  is  "  a  red-hot  sensation  from 
head  to  foot,  which  makes  their  backs  tingle  as  if  somebody 
had  applied  a  hissing  flat-iron  to  the  tenderest  spot  in  their 
spinal  marrow." 

She  was,  in  fact,  a  lady,  a  gentlewoman  in  thought  and 
action,  such  as  we  happily  find  numerous  examples  of  in 
real  life,  though,  if  we  were  to  trust  to  the  veracity  of 
those  aforementioned  modern  heroines,  who  relate  the 
story  of  their  youth  in  language  as  startling  as  the  senti- 
ments, principles,  and  adventures  which  it  portrays,  we 
should  believe  the  species  had  utterly  disappeared  from 
among  the  human  race. 

Faults  enough  she  certainly  had — the  faults  of  her  age  ; 
hasty  temper,  bursts  of  impatience,  a  yielding  to  impulse, 
thereby  cracking  the  fine  varnish  of  conventional  breeding 
in  a  way  which  older  people  learn  to  avoid — but  she  was  a 
lady. 

She  had  not  been  fostered  into  precociously  becoming 
a  woman  in  feelings  and  views  of  life  ;  she  was  exactly 
what  she  ought  to  have  been  at  her  years — a  girl,  and  a 
healthy,  pure-minded  girl,  with  all  the  charms  and  asperi- 
ties which  belong  to  that  season. 

Violet's  laughing  comparison  was  perhaps  the  best  that 


BEFORE     THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT.  205 

could  have  been  applied — a  moss  rosebud  a  little  too  well 
enveloped  ;  still,  for  those  who  had  eyes  to  see,  the  tender 
bloom  which  heralded  the  perfection  of  the  flower  was  dis- 
tinctly visible. 

And  Violet  enjoyed  her  companionship,  as  imaginative 
people  past  their  youth  do  enjoy  the  society  of  what  is 
young  and  fresh,  provided  those  people  are  free  enough 
from  envy  and  jealousy — though  of  course  hiding  their  real 
sentiments  from  themselves  under  reproaches  directed 
towards  the  frivolousness,  ignorance  and  presumption  of 
adolescence — to  be  able  to  appreciate  it. 

Her  friends  began  to  grumble  at  what  they  termed  her 
neglect  of  obvious  duty — namely,  attention  to  themselves 
— since  the  arrival  of  the  cousin  to  whom  she  was  deter- 
mined to  prove  that  she  had  fallen  into  thoroughly  sym- 
pathetic guardianship — and  the  first  and  loudest  among 
these  grumblers  were  Nina  Magnoletti  and  Mr.  Aylmer. 

"  One  never  sees  you  lately,"  that  gentleman  said  one 
night  when  he  met  her  at  Lady  Ilarcourt's. 

"  Just  what  I  have  been  telling  her,"  cried  Nina.  "It 
is  positively  shameful  !" 

"  It  strikes  me  that  I  saw  you  both  last  evening — twice 
even — once  at  the  opera,  and  afterwards  at  the  Morelli's," 
returned  Violet.  "  My  memory  is  better  than  yours.  See- 
ing me  makes  so  little  impression  on  your  minds  that  you 
forget  the  fact  within  twenty-four  hours." 

"  Of  course  she  would  manage  in  some  way  to  twist  our 
reproaches  so  as  to  put  us  in  the  wrong,  Mr.  Aylmer,"  said 
Nina. 

"  And  she  knows  very  well  what  we  meant,"  rejoined 
he.  "  Her  doors  are  hermetically  sealed  !  Now  and  then 
she  appears-late  in  the  evening  at  somebody's  reception  or 
ball — flashes  past  one  like  a  meteor,  and  is  gone." 

"  I  think  that  is  blank  verse,"  retorted  Violet,  "  and 
everybody  knows  that  poetry  is  not  truth." 

"  What  an  awful  heresy,  Miss  Cameron  !" 

"  And  only  uttered  to  avoid  telling  the  truth  herself," 
said  Nina.  "  Now,  misguided  young  woman,  I  insist  on 
knowing  where  all  your  mornings  have  been  spent  for  the 
last  week  ?  I  have  called,  heaven  knows  how  many  times, 
at  your  house,  and  the  answer  was  always  the  same — out, 
and  nobody  had  an  idea  where  !  To  say  the  least,  such 
conduct  is  very  mysterious,  and  Florence  does  not  permit 


206  BEFORE    THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT. 

mysteries.  People  may  be  as  wicked  as  they  like,  but  they 
must  not  make  a  secret  of  their  peccadilloes." 

"If  either  of  you  ever  visited  a  picture-gallery,  or  any 
other  place  improving  to  the  mind,  you  might  have  found 
me,"  said  Violet. 

"  I  flatter  myself  that  my  dwelling  comes  within  that 
catalogue,  and  you  certainly  have  not  been  seen  there," 
returned  Nina. 

"  Well,  if  you  had  called  it  a  museum  of  unnatural 
curiosities,  considering  the  people  you  and  Carlo  get  about 
you,  I  might  have  agreed  with  your  remark,"  said  Violet. 

"  And  as  I  go  there  almost  daily,  permit  me  to  thank 
you,  Miss  Cameron,  for  my  share  in  the  compliment,"  cried 
Aylmer. 

"-She  is  hopelessly  hardened  in  her  sins,"  sighed  Nina. 
"  It  is  all  the  fault  of  that  wretched  little  new  cousin — I 
hate  her !" 

"  That's  because  she  is  pretty,"  said  Violet. 

"  The  same  reason  would  not  apply  to  Mr.  Aylmer,  since 
he  is  a  man,"  replied  Nina,  "and  he  hates  her  too." 

Aylmer  laughed.  Was  his  laughter  slightly  con- 
strained, or  did  Violet  only  fancy  so  ? 

"  Why  don't  you  leave  your  Bronson  to  show  her  the 
sights  ?"  pursued  Nina.  "  She  is  a  walking  encyclopaedia  of 
knowledge,  and  her  society  might  be  of  service  to  the 
child,  while  you  are  as  ignorant  as  the  rest  of  us,  and  can 
be  of  no  benefit  whatever  to  her  mind  !  I  wish  she  had 
stayed  in  her  native  wilds,  or  been  drowned  in  crossing  the 
ocean,  if  she  is  to  usurp  your  attention  in  this  way." 

So  it  came  about  that  only  the  next  day,  as  Violet  and 
Mary  Avere  standing  in  the  Apollo  salon  of  the  Pitti  Gallery, 
Violet  perceived  Laurence  Aylmer  in  one  of  the  smaller 
rooms  opposite,  conversing  with  a  gentleman.  She  made 
another  discovery  at  the  same  instant — it  was  that  Mary 
saw  him,  too,  turned,  and  became  absorbed  in  Raphael's 
portrait  of  Leo  X.,  with  dark,  inscrutable-eyed  Cardinal 
Medici  standing  beside  the  pope.  But  she  did  not  move 
quickly  enough,  for  Violet  caught  the  sudden  color  which 
bloomed  like  sweetbriar  blossoms  into  her  usually  rather  pale 
cheeks. 

The  two  men  were  standing  with  their  backs  towards 
the  ladies.  Violet's  .first  impulse  was  to  turn  away  as 
Mary  had  done,  but  she  checked  it.  She  did  not 


BEFORE    THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT.  207 

choose  to  be  flattered,  raissish,  silly  ;  she  would  not  stir. 
She  had  time  to  think  this  and  many  other  things  in  rapid 
succession  ;  uppermost  rushed  the  thought  born  in  her 
mind  the  day  of  Mary's  arrival — the  girl  loved  Laurence 
Aylmer  !  And  he  would  love  Mary.  His  fancy  for  Violet 
Cameron  would  fade  speedily,  as  it  ought — for  Violet,  past 
her  youth — Violet,  who  had  no  business  with  dreams  such 
as  were  fitting  at  her  cousin's  age  !  Why,  presently  she 
should  be  ancient,  wrinkled,  withered — old  maid  that  she 
was  !  Of  course  Aylmer  would  turn  to  this  opening  bud, 
which  possessed  the  charm  of  promise  that  the  already 
fading  rose  had  lost. 

And  Mary  loved  him  !  Here  was  an  additional  reason 
why  she,  Violet,  should  prove  incapable  of  the  preposter- 
ous folly  of  caring  for  a  man  younger  than  herself.  His 
caprice  would  not  last !  No  man  could  love  (no,  she  meant 
admire — lose  his  head  over — some  term  that  expressed  folly 
or  temporary  aberration  of  intellect,  was  the  most  appli- 
cable !)  for  any  length  of  time,  a  woman  so  many  years 
his  senior  !  And  Mary  loved  him,  and  Mary  should  have 
her  happiness  ! 

No  doubt,  when  he  met  the  girl  in  America,  Aylmer  had 
been  attracted  towards  her,  but  was  unaware  of  the  im- 
pression he  had  made.  Violet  would  not  admit  the  possi- 
bility of  his  being  a  trifler — capable  of  wittingly  gaining 
the  innocent  creature's  heart  and  flinging  it  carelessly  aside 
— no,  no  ! 

Circumstances  had  abruptly  called  him  away  before 
he  learned  the  truth  ;  here,  in  Europe,  he  had  encountered 
this  Violet  Cameron,  and  had  conceived  for  her  one  of 
those  brief  infatuations  such  as  his  sex  will  in  similar  case 
— the  wisest  and  best  men  being  weak  creatures  !  But 
the  delusion  must  die  out  rapidly,  now  that  fate  had  again 
flung  Mary  in  his  path.  He  would  quickly  learn  the  differ- 
ence between  illusion  and  reality — fancy  and  affection  ! 
Why  once,  as  a  compliment  to  the  girl  (long  ago — oh,  that 
first  night  at  Nina's  house  !)  he  had  said  that  she  reminded 
him  of  Miss  Cameron.  Ah,  he  would  discover  that  the 
compliment  had  been  to  Violet  herself  in  suggesting  that 
she  retained  sufficient  signs  of  youth  to  leave  any  trace  of 
resemblance  between  her  and  this  child,  whose  face  was 
holy  as  dawn,  with  waking  hopes  and  dreams. 

But  Aylmer  and  his  companion  had  caught  sight  of  the 


208  BEFORE     THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT. 

pair,  and  as  they  approached,  Violet  perceived  that  the 
latter  gentleman  was  well  known  to  her  ;  a  young  artist 
who  had  not  been  in  Florence  since  her  return — a  great 
favorite  with  her,  too. 

Seeing  him  gave  her  a  reason  for  greeting  Aylmer  rather 
briefly,  and  hastening  to  welcome  the  new-comer. 

"  Why,  Gilbert  Warner  !"  she  exclaimed.  "  What  an 
unexpected  pleasure  !  How  very  glad  I  am  to  see  you  !  I 
thought  you  had  vanished  forever.  Where  have  you  been — 
to  the  Antipodes  ?" 

"  Only  to  America,"  he  answered,  shaking  her  hand 
with  unfashionable  fervor,  excusable,  since  he  was  a  painter, 
not  a  dandy. 

But  while  Violet  poured  forth  a  torrent  of  questions  and 
ejaculations  with  an  animation  less  pardonable  than  his 
warmth,  since  she  ranked  among  the  order  of  fine  ladies, 
and  so  ought  to  have  been  incapable  of  enthusiasm,  she  was 
not  so  absorbed  but  what  she  could  observe  the  meeting 
between  Mary  and  Aylmer. 

"  Are  you  so  lost  in  admiration  of  that  wicked  pope  that 
one  may  not  even  say  good-morning  ?"  he  asked. 

She  turned  and  gave  him  her  hand,  but  her  laugh  sounded 
nervous  ;  and  Violet,  strong  in  her  determination  to  be  of 
service,  would  not  leave  the  girl  to  betray  her  confusion. 

"Mary,"  she  called,  "let  me  present  my  friend  Mr. 
Warner " 

"  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Miss  Danvers," 
broke  in  that  gentleman,  quickly  ;  "  we  were  fellow-pas- 
sengers across  the  ocean.  I  trust  she  has  not  forgotten 
me!" 

He  hurried  up  to  Mary,  and  Violet  gave  her  another 
rapid  glance,  wondering  if  by  any  possibility  she  had  been 
mistaken  as  to  the  person  who  had  caused  the  girl's  little 
agitation. 

No  ;  it  was  not  Gilbert  Warner.  Mary  held  out  her 
hand  to  him  with  exemplary  composure — answered  his 
greetings  as  calmly  as  even  Eliza  Bronson  could  have  con- 
sidered fitting  for  the  manner  of  a  young  lady ;  and  so  far 
from  coloring,  looked  almost  pale  again — else  the  contrast 
to  that  recent  vivid  flush  made  her  appear  so. 

Then,  as  was  her  duty,  Miss  Cameron  took  the  adjusting 
of  matters  into  her  own  control.  She  began  to  talk,  and 
kept  the  conversation  general  for  a  few  minutes.  They  all 


BEFORE    THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT.  209 

walked  on  to  look  at  the  pictures  in  the  farther  rooms,  and 
Violet,  with  her  woman's  quickness,  perceived  that  Mary 
(involuntarily,  Violet  did  her  the  justice  to  think,)  half 
turned  from  the  artist,  as  if  to  claim  Aylmer's  companion- 
ship. 

So  it  should  be,  Violet  decided,  and  she  addressed  some 
remark  to  Warner  which  brought  him  to  her  side  ;  she  de- 
tained him  there,  as  they  strolled  along,  leaving  the  other 
pair  to  follow. 

When  Miss  Cameron  announced  that  it  was  time  for 
her  and  Mary  to  go,  the  gentlemen  accompanied  them 
down  stairs. 

"  Remember,  I  shall  expect  to  see  you  immediately,  you 
runaway  !"  Violet  said  to  Warner,  in  that  gracefully  auto- 
cratic fashion  of  hers,  which  men  found  so  irresistible.  "  I 
shall  come  very  soon  for  a  peep  at  your  new  sketches  ;  but 
recollect,  no  pretense  of  work  will  serve  as  an  excuse  for 
neglecting  me  !" 

Warner  persuaded  her  to  set  the  next  day  for  visiting 
his  studio  with  her  cousin  ;  then  Aylmer  claimed  her 
attention,  and  Violet  had  not  time  to  notice  that  the 
painter  looked  at  Mary  with  as  much  gratitude  as  if  the 
promise  had  come  from  her  ;  but  Mary  was  busy  extricat- 
ing a  bow  of  her  cousin's  dress  which  had  caught  in  the 
carriage-door,  and  did  not  raise  her  eyes. 

The  two  men  stood  watching  the  landau  as  it  rolled 
down  the  descent  in  front  of  the  palace,  and  Warner 
said  : 

"  Upon  my  word,  Miss  Cameron  is  more  beautiful  than 
ever.  She  ought  to  have  been  Empress  of  all  the  Russias. 
Yet,  though  she  shows  so  plainly  that  she  is  accustomed  to 
have  the  whole  world  on  its  knees  when  she  passes,  she  is 
as  natural  and  unaffected  as  a  child." 

Aylmer's  first  thought  was  that  which  always  enters  the 
masculine  mind  when  another  man  ventures  to  praise  the 
special  object  of  the  listener's  admiration — "  Like  your  im- 
pudence indeed  !" — and  his  next  to  feel  his  heart  warm 
suddenly  towards  his  friend,  because  he  had  eyes  and 
brains  to  appreciate  his  deity's  loveliness. 

"  I  am  awfully  glad  you  have  come  back  to  Florence, 
Warner,"  cried  he,  enthusiastically  and  irrelevantly.  "  I 
was  thinking  about  you  the  other  day,  and  hoping  you 
would  get  here  before  the  winter  ended." 


210  BEFORE     THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT. 

And,  as  the  carriage  passed  down  the  narrow  street 
towards  the  Ponte  Vecchio,  Violet  said  : 

"  Such  a  charming  man,  and  so  good  !  You  know  him, 
already." 

"  Why — yes — oh,  yon  mean  Mr.  Warner  ?"  said  Mary, 
coming  out  of  a  reverie  with  another  blush,  which  faded 
too  quickly  as  she  went  on  to  speak  of  him  for  any  proba- 
bility that  it  or  the  start  with  which  she  roused  herself  to 
answer  had  the  slightest  connection  with  his  name.  "  Yes  ; 
he  is  a  relative  of  Mrs.  Forrester's.  He  came  to  see  us 
very  often  in  New  York  before  we  sailed,  and  was  very 
kind  and  good-natured  during  the  voyage." 

"  And  you  never  remembered  to  speak  of  him,  you  un- 
grateful puss  !" 

"  We  have  had  so  much  to  talk  about,  I've  had  no  time 
to  recollect  my  journey  ;  and  you  did  not  speak  of  him 
either,"  said  Mary. 

The  carriage  had  reached  that  quaintest  of  medifeval 
bridges,  and  Mary  became  too  busy  regarding  the  odd  little 
shops  to  have  further  leisure  to  bestow  on  Mr.  Warner  ;  as 
for  Laurence  Aylmer,  his  name  found  no  mention  from 
either  of  the  ladies  during  their  homeward  drive. 

They  talked  a  great  deal,  however,  and  Mary  was  made 
happy  by  a  decision  that  she  should  be  allowed  to  pursue 
her  inclinations.  An  old  sculptor  of  Violet's  acquaintance 
had  promised  to  let  Mary  enter  his  studio  and  have  the 
benefit-  of  his  counsels  ;  but  it  was  agreed  between  the 
cousins  that  at  present  she  must  not  allow  her  love  for  the 
plastic  art  to  interfere  with  other  studies.  She  should  go 
to  the  studio  a  certain  number  of  times  each  week,  and 
work  a  certain  number  of  hours.  As  Mr.  Vaughton's 
atelier  was  on  the  same  floor  as  his  dwelling,  and  he  had  a 
good-natured  sister,  who  would  be  only  too  glad  to  play 
chaperon  to  the  young  girl,  there  existed  no  necessity  for 
troubling  Miss  Bronson. 

"I  wash  my  hands  of  the  whole  business,"  Eliza  said, 
when  later  she  heard  the  affair  discussed  ;  and  as  she  spoke 
she  rubbed  them  violently  with  her  pocket-handkerchief,  as 
if  the  lavatory  process  were  already  finished,  and  she  wip- 
ing away  any  last  traces  of  responsibility  which  might  still 
linger.  "I  disapprove,  but  I  remain  silent.  Water  colors 
in  moderation,  if  young  ladies  please ;  though,  to  m'y 
mind,  they  are  sticky  things,  and  ruinous  to  one's  dress — 


BEFORE    THE    POPE'S    PORTRAIT.  211 

but  sculpture  !  No,  Violet,  I  cannot  help  wondering  at 
your  encouraging  the  child  in  a  fancy  which  is  positively 
unnatural — yes,  I  must  say  it — almost  depraved  !" 

By  this  time  Mary  knew  Miss  Bronson  too  well  to  feel 
either  frightened  or  hurt,  and  the  professor,  who  chanced 
to  be  present  when  the  news  of  Mary's  intentions  was 
broken  to  the  spinster,  highly  enjoyed  her  dismay. 

"You  must  do  nothing  by  halves,  Miss  Mary,"  he  said. 
"  A  thing  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  thoroughly." 

"  And  an  improper  thing  touched  ever  so  lightly  is  still 
improper,"  cried  Eliza,  bridling,  as  she  always  did  when 
she  felt  that  she  had  uttered  some  emphatic  truth. 

"  Half  the  people  who  call  themselves  sculptors  know 
about  as  much  of  the  human  frame  as — as  our  dear  friend 
Miss  Bronson  does  of  those  hypothetical  human  souls  she 
likes  to  dream  of." 

"  Professor !"  said  Eliza,  in  mingled  pain  and  wrath, 
"  at  least  spare  that  young  girl  those  evil  theories  !  Do 
not  add  to  your  sins  by  essaying  to  contaminate  her  youth- 
ful spirit." 

"No,  no  ;  I  had  something  else  in  my  mind,"  return,ed 
the  professor,  with  a  chuckle.  "  Fraulein  Violet,  little 
Miss  Mary  must  study  anatomy.  I  shall  give  her  lessons 
myself,  if  you  permit,  and  she  will  accept  me  as  teacher." 

For  a  moment  Eliza  sat  speechless,  staring  open- 
mouthed,  straight  befonp  her,  so  Mary  had  an  opportunity 
to  say  : 

"  Oh,  how  kind  you  are  !     Do  thank  him,  Violet  !" 

"  My  dear,  your  face  is  doing  that  better  than  I  can," 
said  Violet,  laughing  in  advance  at  the  scene  which  she 
knew  Eliza  was  about  to  make  ;  which  the  professor  him- 
self awaited  with  gleeful  impatience. 

"  We  will  begin  to-morrow,  Miss  Mary !"  cried  he. 
"  Now  the  bones  of  the " 

"  One  instant,"  gasped  Eliza  ;  "  one  instant." 

"Certainly,"  said  the  professor,  with  elaborate  polite- 
ness. 

"  I  desire  to  ask  you  a  single  question,  Violet,"  pursued 
Eliza,  in  a  voice  at  once  tremulous  and  dignified.  "  Do 
you  mean  to  allow  this  contamination  of  a  youthful  female 
mind,  committed  to  your  charge,  to  be  carried  into  effect  ?" 

"I  am  afraid  I  must.     You  know  how  obstinate  the  pro- 


212  A     SOLD    STROKE. 

fessor  is — he  always  will  have  his  way,"  said  Violet,  with 
mock  sadness. 

"  And  now  about  the  bones — if  I  do  not  interrupt  Miss 
Bronson,"  continued  the  professor,  with  a  profound  bow 
towards  the  outraged  spinster  ;  "  the  bones  of " 

"  Mary  Danvers  !"  brokc-in  Eliza. 

"  Hers,  if  you  like,"  said  the  professor,  "  as  good  an  ex- 
ample as  another." 

"  Peace !"  cried  Eliza.  "  Mary,  I  appeal  to  you  !  I 
urge  you  in  the  name  of " 

"Too 'late!"  interrupted  the  professor,  in  his  turn. 
"  The  lesson  has  begun.  Now  only  listen,  Miss  Bronson. 
This  is  a  fact  which  will  interest  you  !" 

"  Violet,  you  must  excuse  me  if  I  withdraw,"  said  Eliza, 
rising. 

"  Only  just  listen  to  this,"  urged  the  professor.  "  The 
bones " 

"  Sir,"  exclaimed  Eliza,  "  from  this  moment  we  are 
strangers,  remember  that — remember,  too,  my  final  words. 
There  is  an  unpardonable  sin — I  believe  you  have  reached 
it  at  last.  After  that,  we  are  taught  that  judgment  comes 
speedily  and  tarrieth  not !  If  you  cannot  tremble,  at  least 
I  trust  these  misguided  creatures  whom  you  are  leading 
astray  may  be  granted  grace  enough  to  do  so." 

And  Eliza  swept  from  the  room  with  a  demeanor  that 
was  a  happy  mingling  of  stateliness  worthy  Queen  Kathe- 
rine,  and  a  saintly  resignation  which  would  have  enabled 
her  to  pose  as  a  model  for  a  picture  of  Alexandria's  mar- 
tyred virgin. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

A    BOLD    STKOKE. 

HE  next  day,  while  the  cousins  and  Miss  Bronson 
were  seated  at  breakfast  (one  must  call  it  so,  in 
accordance  with  continental  customs,  though 
served  at  noon),  Violet  said  : 

"  Mary,  we  promised  to  go  to  Gilbert  War- 
ner's studio  at  one  o'clock.     He  is  in  the  same  building  as 


A     BOLD    STROKE.  213 

Mr.  Vaughton,  so  we  shall  '  kill  two  birds  with  one  stone.' 
1  beg  your  pardon,  Eliza.  I  kno\v  proverbs  are  vulgar,  but 
don't  look  so  shocked." 

"I  was  not  thinking  of  the  proverb,"  returned  the  spin- 
ster mournfully,  as  she  laid  down  her  knife  and  fork  with 
the  air  of  a  person  whose  appetite  has  been  effectually  de- 
stroyed by  some  untoward  remark.  "It  is  this  scheme  of 
Mary's " 

"  My  dear,  that  is  settled,  and  discussion  could  only 
make  Mary  uncomfortable,"  Violet  interrupted,  good-na- 
turedly, but  firmly.  "Console  yourself  by  remembering 
that  talents  are  gifts,  not  matters  of  choice.  If  Mary  has 
talent  as  a  sculptor,  it  would  be  as  wrong  for  us  to  attempt 
to  interfere  with  its  cultivation,  as  for  her  to  neglect  her 
powers." 

"  I  have  no  more  to  say,"  Eliza  answered.  "  I  have 
borne  my  testimony — rny  responsibility  ends  there." 

The  cousins  had  much  ado  not  to  smile,  and  Violet 
changed  the  conversation  ;  but  Miss  Bronson  remained 
pensive  and  injured,  refusing  even  to  eat  apricot-marma- 
lade— her  favorite  sweetmeat. 

"  Will  you  go  with  us,  Eliza,  and  see  Mr.  Warner's 
new  sketches  ?"  Violet  asked,  as  they  rose  from  the 
table. 

"Not  to-day,  if  you  will  excuse  me.  Your  real  errand 
is  to  Mr.  Vaughton  ;  I  could  not  answer  to  my  conscience 
if  by  my  presence  I  seemed  tacitly  to  admit  approval," 
Miss  Bronson  replied,  and  she  regarded  the  pair  with  min- 
gled regret  and  condemnation. 

So  the  cousins  drove  away  alone,  laughing  a  little 
between  themselves  at  poor  Eliza's  scruples.  They  were 
received  by  the  young  painter  with  a  delight  which  he 
took  no  pains  to  conceal.  After  a  brief  conversation,  while 
he  showed  Miss  Cameron  the  sketches  he  had  taken  during 
his  absence,  Mary,  who  knew  most  of  them  by  heart, 
strolled  about,  regarding  the  collection  of  valuable  curiosi- 
ties and  relics  with  which  the  studio  abounded,  for  though 
not  a  rich  man,  Warner  had  already  met  with  sufficient  suc- 
cess in  his  profession  to  be  able  to  indulge  his  artistic  tastes 
in  the  furnishing  of  his  atelier. 

Presently  Laurence  Aylmer  made  his  appearance,  and 
again  Violet  noticed  in  Mary  that  slight  agitation  which 
meeting  him  seemed  always  to  produce.  Gilbert  Warner 


214  A     BOLD    STROKE. 

observed  the  change  also,  and  a  cloud  came  over  his 
bright,  genial  face  ;  but  it  faded  speedily  when,  a  few 
moments  later,  he  got  Mary  to  himself  under  the  pretext  of 
showing  her  a  rare  old  cabinet,  while  Violet  and  Aylmer 
were  busy  with  the  sketches. 

Then  the  cousins  went  to  visit  Miss  Vaughton,  and 
arrange  with  her  brother  about  the  days  on  which  Mary 
was  to  work,  and  from  there  they  drove  to  Janetti's  bric- 
d-brac  shop  to  inquire  about  a  present  which  Violt-%  had 
ordered  from  Paris  for  Miss  Bronson,  to  take  the  place 
of  her  much-regretted  china  dog  with  the  red  caudal 
extremity. 

Miss  Cameron  left  Mary  standing  near  the  door  looking 
at  a  deliciously  absurd  porcelain  mandarin  squatted  on  a 
carpet,  and  walked  to  the  farther  end  of  the  shop.  Pres- 
ently Mary  hurried  up  and  caught  her  arm  so  quickly  that 
Violet  looked  round  in  surprise. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  she  asked.  "  Why,  how  you 
tremble  !" 

"That  dreadful  man — I  was  frightened!"  returned 
Mary,  still  rather  breathless.  "  He  saw  me  and  came  in — 
oh  !  there  he  is  !" 

Violet  turned  and  saw  Giulia's  Greek  walking  towards 
them  ;  he  had  been  pointed  out  to  her,  and  she  had  at  once 
conceived  a  strong  aversion  to  his  handsome,  feline  face. 

"  Do  you  mean  him  ?     What  is  it  ?"  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  want  to  tell,"  said  Mary,  more  com- 
posedly, "  but  I  had  better.  He  was  in  the  railway-carriage 
with  me  from  Pistoja.  He  eyed  me  so  and  talked  so  that  I 
was  frightened,  and  he  followed  me  through  the  station, 
offering  to  see  me  to  an  hotel.  Oh  !  that  was  what  made 
me  forget  my  trunks — and — behave  so,  you  know  !" 

The  Greek  was  moving  forward,  his  insolent  eyes  fixed 
on  Mary.  Violet  stepped  from  behind  a  great  vase  that 
concealed  her  and  took  Mary's  arm. 

"  Come,  my  cousin,"  she  said  aloud  in  French,  and  as  they 
passed  the  Greek  she  looked  full  in  his  face  with  a  menac- 
ing glance  which  there  was  no  mistaking. 

The  fellow  stood  dumbfoundered  for  an  instant;  he  rec- 
ognized Miss  Cameron,  and  knew  that  by  his  offensive  gal- 
lantry to  the  pretty,  unprotected  girl  in  the  railway-carriage, 
he  had  jeopardized  his  social  standing  in  Florence. 

The  cousins  passed  on,  and  he  watched  them  with  an 


A     SOLD    STROKE.  215 

evil  glance.  The  scorn  in  Miss  Cameron's  face  did  not 
touch  him  a  whit,  but  he  had  been  anxious  to  rank  among 
her  acquaintances,  having  already  learned  how  important 
her  favor  would  be  ;  and  now  there  not  only  remained  no 
possibility  of  that,  but  it  was  very  probable  she  might 
cause  her  friends1  doors  to  be  shut  against  him. 

He  muttered  a  hearty  curse,  and  to  add  to  his  wrath,  some 
hasty  movement  of  his  arm  knocked  a  Viennese  china  cup 
and  saucer  off  the  counter,  for  the  breaking  of  which  he 
had  to  pay  a  hundred  francs.  He  could  hate  with  the 
ferocity  of  any  other  wild  animal,  and  a  fierce  desire  to 
avenge  his  mishaps  upon  Violet  Cameron  sprang  up  in  his 
mind. 

As  the  carriage  drove  off,  Mary  told  her  little  story  : 

"  I  was  alone  in  the  compartment  ;  he  got  in  at  the  last 
moment,  else  I  should  have  changed.  Oh,  he  was  civil 
enough  in  what  he  said,  but  he  frightened  me.  Luckily,  at 
the  next  station  but  one,  some  ladies  came  in.  I  was 
ashamed  to  tell  you.  Girls  have  no  business  to  meet  with 
adventures.  I  feared  you  might  blame  me." 

"  You  know  me  better  now,  dear." 

"Yes,  indeed  !  But,  oh,  when  I  got  out  in  the  station, 

and  he  kept  by  me,  and — and Well,  I  won't  think 

of  it  !" 

"  The  wretched,  panther-looking  creature  !"  exclaimed 
Violet.  u  He  is  fit  to  be  Giulia  da  Rimini's  friend  !  lie 
was  startled  enough — he  recognized  me,  and  knovvs  very 
well  that  I  can  punish  him  as  he  deserves." 

"  Don't  tell  anybody — not  even  MissBronson  !"  pleaded 
Mary.  "  Oh,  I  should  be  ashamed  ;  promise,  Violet !" 

She  was  so  earnest,  that  Miss  Cameron  gave  her  word 
not  to  mention  the  occurrence. 

"Perhaps  you  are  right,"  she  said  ;  "anyway,  he  is  not 
worth  the  trouble  of  punishing.  I  shall  simply  refuse  to 
allow  him  to  be  introduced  to  me,  if  he  should  venture  to 
attempt  it." 

But  the  Greek  was  careful  not  to  expose  himself  to 
such  risk.  The  days  went  on  ;  he  perceived  by  the  man- 
ner in  which  Miss  Cameron's  acquaintances  treated  him 
that  she  had  not  betrayed  his  conduct.  They  met  several 
times  at  houses  where  the  duchess  had  presented  him,  but 
he  kept  aloof  from  Violet's  vicinity. 

Indeed,  it  soon  became  evident  that  the  Greek  would 


216  A     BOLD    STROKE. 

not  be  troublesome  in  a  society-way,  and  that  inclined  the 
men  of  Giulia's  set  to  permit  him  more  easily  to  glide  into 
familiar  acquaintance  with  themselves.  Since  he  was  con- 
tent with  occasionally  appearing  at  a  reception  or  ball,  they 
did  not  mind  riding  and  driving  with  him,  allowing  him 
the  entry  of  the  club,  or  gaming  and  supping  with  him. 

The  duchess's  house  was  the  only  one  he  visited  regu- 
larly. She  knew  that  he  watched  her — made  himself  cog- 
nizant of  her  habits,  her  engagements,  her  associates — but 
she  had  recovered  wholly  from  her  fright,  had  matured  her 
plans,  and  enjoyed  the  situation. 

In  a  short  time  she  perceived  that  she  had  gained  a 
great  advantage — the  man  had  fallen  in  love  with  her  ;  at 
least  the  passion  was  what  both  she  and  the  Greek  would 
have  dignified  by  the  name. 

He  displayed  a  strong  jealousy  of  Laurence  Aylmer, 
though  Giulia  considered  that  her  subjugation  of  the 
American  advanced  very  slowly.  Could  she  have  known 
the  state  of  his  mind,  her  belief  that  at  least  she  was  mak- 
ing progress  would  have  been  rudely  dispelled.  The 
duchess  had  become  a  positive  burden.  She  employed 
most  adroitly  the  terms  upon  which  she  had  managed  to 
place  him  by  her  unwelcome  confidence  ;  she  waylaid  him 
on  every  possible  occasion,  sent  for  him  to  her  house  on 
plausible  pretexts  ;  and  Aylmer  saw  more  clearly  each  day 
in  what  a  troublesome  position  he  was  put. 

He  still  did  not  suppose  that  she  desired  to  fascinate 
either  his  heart  or  fancy,  but  aside  from  the  fact  of  her 
being  the  last  woman  towards  whom  he  wished  to  act  the 
part  of  sympathetic  counselor,  he  feared,  certain  of  Miss 
Cameron's  aversion  towards  her,  that  the  appearance  of 
intimacy  which  she  began  to  parade  whenever  she  could 
seize  an  opportunity,  would  injure  him  in  the  quarter  where 
a  favorable  opinion  was  of  more  importance  in  his  eyes 
than  the  verdict  of  the  whole  world. 

The  duchess  read  that  cherished  secret  clearly,  but  still 
without  anger  towards  him.  The  struggle  to  gain  a  su- 
premacy only  increased  her  determination,  and  she  grew 
more  and  more  confident  that,  besides  gratifying  her  whim, 
it  would  afford  her  revenge  against  Violet  Cameron,  upon 
whom  she  concentrated  the  wrath  which  Aylmer's  insensi- 
bility aroused  in  her  soul.  If  she  could  only  subdue  him, 
she  should  have  no  wish  to  prevent  his  marrying  Violet  ; 


A     BOLD    STROKE.  217 

nay,  she  should  be  glad,  and  before  the  honeymoon  ended, 
the  haughty  creature  should  learn  that  she,  Giulia,  stood 
between  her  and  her  husband.  Naturally  the  duchess's 
vanity  assured  her  that,  once  acquired,  she  could  keep  such 
hold,  and  her  experience  of  men  had  not  taught  her  to 
think  any  member  of  the  sex  likely  to  be  much  fettered  by 
the  marriage  vow. 

Carlo  Magnoletti's  conduct  had  at  length  convinced  her 
that  her  power  over  him  was  completely  lost,  and  she  hated 
him  almost  as  deeply  as  she  did  Miss  Cameron.  And  Nina, 
who,  under  the  guise  of  friendliness,  never  met  her  with- 
out showing  in  face  and  words  that  she  exulted  over  her  ! 
actually  daring  to  sting  with  vailed  allusions  and  honeyed 
speeches — she,  who  a  few  months  before  had  been  afraid  to 
offend,  lest  Giulia  should  punish  her  through  Carlo  ! 

And  everything  was  Violet  Cameron's  fault  !  Her  re- 
venge !  Oh,  she  would  have  it,  and  it  should  include  the 
trio  !  She  could  wait  ;  she  possessed  the  fortitude  and 
nerve  of  a  red  Indian  ;  vengeance  would  taste  the  sweeter 
for  this  waiting — and  it  should  come. 

But  in  spite  of  other  occupations,  she  found  time  to 
watch  the  Greek  as  narrowly  as  he  did  her.  He  was  losing 
his  head — she  saw  that ;  she  would  foil  the  duke  with  his 
own  instrument — a  second  vengeance,  exciting  and  pleasur- 
able to  her  soul. 

At  first,  as  Diraetri's  air  of  gallantry  grew  more  pro- 
nounced, she  feared  he  might  be  trying  to  fulfill  his  mission 
by  fascinating  her — putting  her  in  an  equivocal  position 
towards  himself,  which  would  afford  the  duke  his  wished- 
for  proofs.  But  she  was  not  afraid  ;  even  if  that  were  his 
object  she  could  baffle  him,  aye,  and  yet  yield  to  the  caprice 
which  her  affection  for  Aylmer  did  not  prevent  her  in- 
dulging. 

But  the  Greek's  passion  was  no  simulated  matter ;  her 
experienced  eyes  soon  discovered  this  by  signs  which  the 
wariest  and  most  astute  man  could  not  have  feigned,  and 
the  knowledge  rendered  her  task  much  easier.  True,  she 
never  doubted  that  he  would  betray  her  just  the  same,  un- 
less she  could  make  it  for  his  interest  to  join  her  side — 
pecuniarily  his  interest,  she  meant ;  she  could  imagine  none 
so  potent — and  she  thought  she  could  manage  to  do  that ; 
do  it  without  putting  her  hand  in  her  own  purse,  a  meager 
one  this  season,  from  her  losses  at  cards  :  and  she  knew  only 
10 


218  A     BOLD    STROKE. 

too  well  that  she  had  exhausted  the  resources  of  borrowing 
in  every  quarter  open  to  her,  under  every  possible  pretext, 
from  that  of  wanting  money  for  charity,  to  pretending  that 
she  had  been  robbed  of  sums  intrusted  to  her  care,  and  if 
left  unaided  must  suffer  disgrace  as  lasting  as  it  would  be 
merited. 

The  Greek  had  been  barely  a  fortnight  in  Florence  be- 
fore Giulia  saw  her  way  clear  towards  managing  him,  and 
with  his  assistance  to  carry  out  her  plans  for  punishing 
Carlo  and  his  wife,  and  dealing  a  first  blow  at  Violet  Cam- 
eron through  her  affection  for  them. 

She  must  throw  off  disguises  to  a  certain  extent, 
but  she  always  deceived  most  successfully  when  she  was 
not  only  in  appearance  but  in  reality  frank,  so  far  as  a  por- 
tion of  her  motives  went.  He  had  hitherto  treated  her 
with  an  affectation  of  respect  which  could  be  nothing  but 
mockery  from  a  confidant  of  the  duke's,  for  the  duke  was 
one  of  the  few  people  who  knew  her  thoroughly.  She  had 
appeared  unsuspicious  of  the  man's  being  Da  Rimini's  spy, 
had  refrained  from  a  single  harsh  word  against  her  husband, 
and  given  Dimetri  the  footing  of  a  friend  because  of  the 
source  from  whence  he  came.  And  now  she  learned  some- 
thing in  regard  to  him  which  she  could  turn  to  use.  A 
Sicilian  who  had  formerly  been  the  duke's  courier  passed 
through  Florence,  and  came  to  pay  his  respects  ;  he  saw  the 
Greek,  and  recognized  him.  They  had  been  in  San  Fran- 
cisco at  the  same  time,  and  Massi  knew  that  there  Dimetri 
had  met  with  a  misfortune.  In  Paris  and  Vienna,  though 
well  known  as  a  gamester,  he  was  not  suspected  of  being  a 
cheat,  but  in  California  he  had  once  been  found  out.  How- 
ever, he  shot  the  discoverer  across  the  card-table. 

This  was  all  Giulia  wanted,  not  to  employ  as  a  threat — 
she  did  not  wish  him  to  suspect  her  knowledge  ;  but  now 
she  saw  how  completely  she  could  depend  upon  his  aid. 
So  many  men  who  would  stop  at  nothing  else  absolutely 
refused  to  cheat  at  cards — from  dread  of  exposure,  Giulia 
supposed,  not  because  there  could  be  any  vice  from 
which  human  beings  would  recoil.  Massi  only  waited  over 
a  single  train,  so  there  was  no  danger  of  his  betraying 
the  Greek  to  anybody  besides  herself,  and  indeed  he  would 
in  any  case  have  been  silent  at  her  request. 

The  next  morning  the  Greek  presented  himself,  as  had 
grown  his  daily  habit,  and  found  her  seated  in  her  dingily- 


A     BOLD     STROKE.  219 

magnificent,  boudoir  looking  like  one's  ideal  of  a  mediaoval 
Boioeiess,  in  her  black-and-gold-wrought  amber  draperies. 
She  had  a  fondness  lor  embroidery,  and  her  skill  in  the  art 
was  marvelous.  As  he  eniered  she  was  occupied  with  her 
favorite  work.  She  set  the  frame  on  the  table  beside  her 
and  held  out  her  hand,  saying  : 

'"  You  have  come  precisely  at  the  right  moment.  Please 
be  useful,  and  hold  this  skein  of  silk." 

lie  bent  laughingly  on  one  knee  as  she  threw  the  scarlet 
threads  over  his  fingers,  gazing  up  into  her  face  with  a 
passionate  light  in  his  wicked  black  eyes. 

''  You  are  to  look  at  the  silk,"  she  said,  with  a  smile — 
not  coquettish,  she  was  too  stately  for  that  word  to  apply — 
"  else  you  will  tangle  it  hopelessly  !" 

"  As  you  have  done  with  my  heart,"  he  answered, 
boldly.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had  spoken  any  words  be- 
yond the  gallantry  which  even  idle  fine  ladies,  who  con- 
eider  themselves  strict,  regard  as  quite  permissible.  "  You 
certainly  are  the  most  beautiful  woman  in  the  world  ! 
It  is  for  me  to  beg  you  not  to  look  ;  you  make  me 
dizzy  !" 

'•  So  that  is  part  of  your  plan,"  she  said,  smiling  still. 

"  My  plan  ?"  he  echoed.     "  I  don't  understand." 

"  But  I  do,"  she  said.  "  Signer  Dimetri,  how  much  did 
my  husband  promise  to  give  you  if  you  got  him  proofs 
that  would  obtain  him  a  separation  on  his  own  terms  ?" 

The  Greek  started  to  his  feet. 

"  You  insult  me,  madam  !"  he  cried  ;  and,  though  his 
indignation  might  be  acting,  his  astonishment  to  find  him- 
self discovered  was  genuine  enough. 

"  You  are  tangling  rny  silk,"  she  said,  softly.  "Please 
to  go  down  on  your  knees  again.  So — now  we  can  talk 
quietly." 

"  Great  heavens  !"  he  exclaimed  ;  "  how  could  you 
speak  to  me  like  that  ?" 

"  Because  I  want  to  know,"  she  answered.  "  I  may  bo 
able  to  offer  a  better  bargain  than  his." 

"  You  torture  me  !"  he  cried.  "  You  know  your  power 
over  me,  and  use  it — oh,  shame,  shame,  to  wound  me  like 
this  !  I  had  not  spoken — if  ray  eyes  told  my  story  it  was 
not  my  fault — and  you  punish  me  with  such  words  !  Am, 
I  to  blame  because  I  could  not  resist  your  witcheries, 
because  I  adore  you " 


220  A     BOLD    STROKE. 

'•'You  may  get  up  now  ;  the  skein  is  wound,"  she  inter- 
rupted, in  an  unaltered  voice.  Then,  as  he  sprang  to  his 
feet  again,  she  continued  :  "So  you  have  decided  to  make 
love  to  me  yourself,  since  you  find  there  is  no  other  man 
whose  folly  or  mine  will  help  you  to  win  your  wages." 

"  I  cannot  bear  this !"  he  exclaimed,  and  hurried 
towards  the  door — looked  back  and  added,  "  I  have  been 
wrong — mad — but  oh  !  if  you  had  any  heart  you  would 
pity  too  much  what  I  suffer  to  stab  me  with  such  a  relent- 
less hand  !" 

"  Come  here,"  she  said,  gently. 

He  complied,  crying  out  against  her  cruelty  in  eloquent 
phrases. 

"  I  am  a  fool — a  coward  to  obey,"  he  faltered.  "  Ah, 
say  you  did  not  mean  it — say  that  you  do  not  believe  me 
false  and  vile  !" 

"  Falsehood  and  truth  are  only  words,"  said  the  duchess. 
"  There  is  nothing  so  important  as  money  !  The  man  is 
honest  who  wins  his  salary  by  thoroughly  doing  his  work." 

"  Again  !     You  call  me  back  to  outrage  me  anew  !" 

"  You  are  only  wasting  your  opportunities,  Signor 
Dimetri,"  said  she.  "  I  am  not  angry.  I  admire  your 
courage,  but  I  am  not  a  weak  woman — I  mean  to  turn  my 
husband's  weapons  against  himself  !  You  love  me,  and  I 
know  it — he  should  have  remembered  that  possibility  when 
he  sent  you  here." 

"I  do  love  you,  but  you  cannot  think " 

"  Let  us  leave  that  part.  You  are  too  shrewd  not  to 
see  that  acting  is  useless  with  me." 

"Yes — he  did  beg  me — I  own  it.     I  refused " 

"At  least  you  will  aid  me  instead  of  him,  since  you  love 
me — if  I  can  make  it  worth  your  while  ?" 

"  Only  a  word,  a  hope,  and  1  am  your  slave  !" 

"  Don't  get  on  your  knees,  please.  Sit  there,  opposite 
me — so.  Look  in  my  face  ;  study  it  well.  If  I  lie,  you 
are  keen  enough  to  discover  it.  You  can't  earn  your  money, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  I  have  no  lover." 

It  was  useless  to  peruse  that  inscrutable  countenance, 
which  expressed  what  she  desired  it  to  do,  and  nothing 
more.  He  began  to  speak,  but  stopped  abruptly. 

"Say  it,"  she  said  calmly.     "  I  shall  not  be  offended." 

"  There  is  a  man  whom  you — you " 

"  You  mean  I  flirt  with   Laurence   Aylmer  ?     I  do.     I 


A     BOLD    STROKE.  221 

would  drive  him  mad  if  I  could  ;  I  will  tell  you  why.  The 
woman  whom  I  hate  the  most  of  all  created  beings  loves 
him — her  name  is  Violet  Cameron." 

';  The  American — curse  her  !"  muttered  Dimetri. 

"She  can  know  nothing  of  you.  Are  you  afraid  of  her  ? 
I  remember  now — you  have  never  tried  to  be  presented. 
What  is  the  reason  ?" 

"  I  met  a  pretty  girl  in  the  train,  and  frightened  her  by 
talking  a  little  nonsense  ;  she  turned  out  that  woman's 
cousin,"  he  replied,  and  went  on  to  relate  Violet's  treatment 
of  him. 

"I  am  glad  of  it,"  the  duchess  said  quietly  ;  "  at  least, 
you  will  be  ready  to  help  me  where  she  is  concerned." 

"  And  you  hate  her,  because  that  Aylmer •" 

"  You  had  better  let  me  explain  my  own  motives,"  she 
broke  in  ;  "  you  can  believe  me  or  not,  as  you  please." 

"  I  know  about  her  making  you  trouble  with  JVlagno- 
letti,"  he  said,  devouring  her  with  his  passionate,  hungry 
eyes. 

The  duchess  retained  the  most  perfect  composure  ;  she 
knew  that  one  thing  at  a  time  is  the  golden  rule  for  doing 
all  things  well.  Just  now  business  was  the  matter  of  mo- 
ment. 

"  He  may  be  vexed  if  he  likes,"  she  said,  "  but  he  loves 
play  too  well  not  to  come  to  my  house,  and  he  has  about 
three  hundred  thousand  francs  ready  money  ;  when  he  has 
lost  that,  he  and  his  fool  of  a  wife  may  go  their  way." 

"  He  is  very  lucky  at  cards " 

"  Heavens,  don't  I  know  it !"  she  interrupted  coldly,  im- 
patient as  her  words  sounded.  "  But  two  people  playing 
against  him — two  people  with  nerve  and  courage  enough  not 
to  stop  for  the  scruples  that,  cowards  call  honesty,  could 
be  more  than  a  match  for  his  luck." 

She  looked  full  in  his  face  and  smiled.  He  started  up 
and  caught  her  hand  in  both  his. 

"  You  are  a  wonderful  woman  !"  he  exclaimed. 

She  drew  her  hand  slowly  away,  still  smiling  in  his  eyes. 

"  Would  half  that  inheritance  of  Carlo's  overbalance 
Da  Rimini's  offer  ?"  she  asked. 

"  I  will  do  anything — consent  to  anything — -only  say 
that  you  love  me  !"  he  cried. 

She  rose  and  stood  leaning  her  hand  on  the  table  ;  any 
attitude  she  took  always  seemed  the  perfection  of  grace. 


222  IN    THE    STUDIO. 

"When  Violet  Cameron  is  punished — when  the  Magno- 
letti  are  reduced  to  such  straits  that  Nina's  jewels  are  in 
pawn — you  will  at  least  have  earned  the  right  to  tell  me 
that  you  should  prize  such  an  avowal,"  she  answered. 
"  Wait — let  me  b'nish  !  I  have  shown  you  my  plans  freely  ; 
I  am  not  a  coward  ;  I  fear  you  as  little  as  I  do  the  duke  ! 
Fight  with  me,  and  we  conquer  together  ;  fight  against  me 
— arid  trust  the  foresight  of  a  woman  who  has  held  her  own 
so  far  against  foes,  against  personal  inclinations,  against 
Fate  itself — you  will  go  down  among  the  vanquished  !" 

"  Oh,  I  believe  it  !"  he  exclaimed  admiringly  ;  she 
seemed  great  in  his  eyes.  "  Together — ah,  together  !" 

"  Then,  till  victory  comes,  you  speak  no  such  word  as 
you  have  done  to-day,"  she  said  steadily  ;  "  if  you  do,  you 
will  never  enter  my  doors  again — I  swear  it !  The  duke 
himself  would  tell  you  that  in  a  case  of  this  kind  I  never 
break  my  word." 

She  moved  towards  a  door  which  led  into  her  dressing- 
room,  looking  back  at  him  over  her  shoulder. 

"  Ah,  don't  go  1"  he  cried  eagerly  ;  "  don't  !" 

"  A  rivederci — a  domani  /"  she  answered  ;  waved  her 
hand  with  a  slow,  sad  smile  which  sometimes  gave  a 
certain  pathetic  expression  to  her  rather  stern  face,  and 
passed  out  of  his  sight. 

The  Greek  stood  for  a  few  seconds  lost  in  thought. 

"  Da  Rimini  is  an  idiot — a  beggarly  twenty  thousand, 
indeed  !  What  a  woman — she  would  beat  the  devil  him- 
self !» 

And  he  went  his  way. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

IN  THE  STUDIO. 

jARY  DANVERS  began  her  labors  in  the  old 
sculptor's  studio  with  the  delight  of  a  person 
who  has  found  the  work  which  is  most  con- 
genial, and  her  success  equaled  her  enthusiastic 
industry.  But  she  was  too  sensible  and  too 
conscientious  to  neglect  her  promise  to  Violet  of  not  allow- 


IN    THE    STUDIO.  223 

ing  the  occupation  to  prevent  her  attending  to  other 
duties.  She  studied  Italian  under  a  good  master,  and  made 
rapid  progress  ;  she  was  already  well  grounded  in  French, 
lacking  only  the  facility  in  conversation  which  is  a  matter 
of  practice,  and  which  she  soon  attained  through  the  oppor- 
1  unities  afforded  her.  She  found  time  to  read  a  great  deal 
also,  though  obliged  to  put  by  poetry  and  romances  in 
a  measure,  and  this  at  her  age  appeared  a  little  hard. 

"Never  mind,"  she  said  to  Violet;  "when  one  has  a 
good  solid  dinner  every  day,  it  would  be  silly  to  grumble 
because  the  sweets  are  sometimes  left  out — would  it  not  ?" 

Violet  smiled  at  the  homely  illustration,  but  approved  of 
the  resolve,  and  not  only  the  liking  for  her  cousin,  but 
respect  for  her  talents,  increased  daily.  Even  Miss  Bran- 
son applauded  the  girl's  industry  ;  she  had  only  one  reason 
ior  dissatisfaction — Mary  grudged  the  hours  spent  over  the 
pianoforte,  and  at  last  rebelled  in  her  quiet  fashion. 

"If  I  meant  to  make  music  a  profession,"  she  said,  "it 
would  be  another  thing,  but  I  shall  never  become  more  than 
a  very  mediocre  player." 

"  Don't  tell  me  you  do  not  love  music  !"  sighed  Mis-? 
Bronson. 

"  I  think  it  is  because  I  do  love  it  that  I  am  discouraged 
by  my  own  performance,"  returned  Mary;  and  she  appealed 
to  Violet. 

Only  that  day  Mr.  Vaughton  had  come  to  the  house  full 
of  enthusiasm  about  his  pupil  ;  he  pronounced  her  a 
genius,  and  vowed  that  anybody  who  tried  to  hinder  her 
devoting  herself  to  sculpture  would  be  doing  a  wicked 
thing,  and  sacrifice  not  only  her  talents  but  her  happiness. 

The  professor  had  been  allowed  to  study  her  efforts  with 
his  severely-critical  eyes,  and  he  came  too,  and  added  his 
verdict  to  that  of  Mr.  Vaughton. 

Violet  was  in  ecstasies,  and  Miss  Bronson  reduced  to 
silence  by  these  proofs  of  the  demure  little  maiden's  having 
chosen  the  work  really  fitted  to  employ  all  her  powers. 

So  Mary  was  allowed  to  toil  as  assiduously  as  she 
pleased,  and  soon  went  regularly  each  morning  to  the 
studio.  One  only  needed  to  look  at  her  changed  face  to 
see  that  she  was  happy  ;  and  now  that  her  shyness  had 
worn  off,  her  manners  were  full  of  charm.  Violet  found 
her  a  most  agreeable  companion  ;  and  Mary,  completely 


224  IN    THE    STUDIO. 

won  by  the  sympathy  and  appreciation  she  met,  knew  no 
bounds  in  her  love  and- admiration  for  her  beautiful  cousin. 

Visions  of  a  future  filled  with  successful  achievements 
began  to  haunt  the  girl  ;  but  a  dream  brighter  than  that  of 
fame  gilded  her  path,  though  as  yet  she  did  not  recognize 
its  potency,  even  while  it  permeated  every  thought,  and 
made  the  crowning  brightness  of  her  way. 

it  commenced  with  her  meeting  Gilbert  Warner  at  his 
relative's  house  in  New  York.  Then  followed  the  voyage, 
during  which  the  weather  remained  so  glorious  that 
one  almost  forgot  it  was  not  Indian  summer  still.  Some 
accident  occorred  to  shaft  or  wheel — not  serious  enough  to 
cause  alarm  among  the  passengers — only  a  lucky  misfor- 
tune, which  prolonged  those  charmed  days  to  twice  their 
allotted  number  ;  from  first  to  last  a  voyage  in  a  fairy 
bark  across  an  enchanted  sea,  with  the  marvelous  Old 
World  of  history  and  tradition  awaiting  beyond  its  golden 
haze.  The  dream  continued  :  the  journey  up  to  London 
was  no  prosaic  railway  travel  to  those  young  pilgrims  ;  the 
land  looked  like  a  garden  even  in  its  winter  dress  ;  in  the 
background,  towns,  towers,  castles,  starting  up  in  rapid 
succession,  whose  very  names  were  words  of  romance,  and 
the  objects  themselves  seemed  to  rise  out  of  the  depths  of 
the  storied  past  and  fling  their  shadow  as  an  additional 
poesy  over  the  beautiful  present. 

There  Warner  decreed  that  his  relative  must  rest,  and 
he  said  to  Mary  laughingly  : 

"  One  last  opportunity  to  breathe  a  little  freedom — we 
are  still  in  the  air  where  young  ladies  are  permitted  to  do 
that.  Once  across  the  Channel,  and  a  prisoner  in  an  Aus- 
trian dungeon  would  not  be  more  closely  bound  ;  so  let  us 
make  use  of  the  respite,  and  thank  the  gods  therefor." 

And  London — somber,  denuded,  at  which  a  woman  of 
the  world  would  have  shuddered — the  Park  an  empty  wild, 
the  Lady's  Mile  a  desert,  Kensington  Gardens  the  confines 
of  the  globe — but  all  the  same,  a  city  of  magical  delights  to 
Mary. 

Oh,  the  dismal,  would-be  aristocratic,  and  therefore  so 
much  the  more  dismal,  lodgings — how  bright  they  looked 
to  Mary,  though  Mrs.  Forrester,  seeing  all  objects  through 
another  atmosphere,  was  made  sea-sick,  according  to  her 
own  account,  by  monstrous  yellow  chairs,  hideous  stuffed 
green  parrots  which  served  as  ornaments,  breakfasts  of  liver 


IN    THE    STUDIO.  225 

and  bacon,  and  a  fiendish,  red-faced  landlady,  who  chanted 
as  a  daily  litany  the  self-same  bit  of  personal  biography 
without  ever  pausing  for  breath  : 

"  Which,  if  you'll  h'excuse  me,  except  h'out  of  the  sea- 
son, mum,  as  I've  scarce  'ad  (meanin'  no  disrespect  to  fur- 
reners)  h'anybody  under  a  barrow-knight  and  'is  lady  since  I 
put  up  my  name  on  the  door-plate  Mrs.  'Arriet  'Amilton 
Howens  which  it  is  Welsh  as  it  ought  to  be  for  'e  was 
from  Wales  and  traced  back  by  a  geology  as  long  as  a 
queen's  train  to  Iladam  and  Hove  if  not  further,  and  hoh, 
it's  my  Constance  prayer  that  where  'e  be  among  the  sera- 
phim a  playing  the  'arp  with  'is  wings  that  perwented  'e  is 
from  a  moral  sense  of  what's  befalling  'is  inconsolable  relict 
which  by  her  this  memorium  was  erected  from  his  tomb- 
stone in  'Ammersmith  cemetery  as  'e  may  read  who  paces 
its  solemn  depths  and  well  for  us  hall,  mum,  if  we  did  more 
frequent  and  thereby  realized  our  latter  hends  and  its  con- 
sequences !" 

Then  the  trip  across  the  Channel,  away  up  the  Scheldt, 
Warner  having  assured  his  relative  that  it  was  safer  far  to 
take  that  route  than  trust  to  the  cockle-shells  which  periled 
people's  lives  between  England  and  France.  Then  Ant- 
werp, with  its  old  cathedral,  its  pictures  ;  then  a  vision  of 
Ghent — of  the  town  where  they  stood  in  the  square  and 
recited,  "  In  the  market-place  of  Bruges  stands  a  belfry 
old  and  brown  ;"  then  a  rest  in  Brussels — the  dream  wax- 
ing brighter  and  brighter  as  it  neared  its  close.  Then  a  sud- 
den break — the  weariness  of  travel — the  common  earth 
again — for  the  two  had  parted. 

But  the  knowledge  that  they  should  meet  soon,  and  his 
arrival  in  Florence  so  short  a  time  after  her  own,  prevented 
Mary's  learning  her  secret  through  the  discipline  of  waiting 
and  unrest. 

Man -like,  Gilbert  Warner  had  been  less  reticent  with 
his  heart ;  he  knew  that  he  loved  this  fair  girl,  with  eyes 
clear  and  pure  as  a  woodland  bi'ook,  with  her  odd  com- 
pound of  shyness  and  courage,  common-sense  so  strong 
that  sometimes,  to  a  careless  observer,  it  became  too  practi- 
cal, gleams  of  genius  breaking  through  her  talk  and  shin- 
ing from  her  countenance  in  moments  of  emotion  strong 
enough  to  make  her  forget  timidity,  or  in  the  society  of 
those  with  whom  she  was  sufficiently  in  unison  to  let  her  real 
self  appear. 

10* 


226  IN    THE    STUDIO. 

Like  many  artists,  Warner  was  disinclined  to  general 
society,  but  lie  proved  a  frequent  and  welcome  visitor  at 
Violet  Cameron's  house,  and  became  almost  as  great  a  f  avor- 
ite  witli  the  professor  as  was  Laurence  Aylmer.  The 
shrewd  old  German  found  keen  interest  in  watching  the 
romances  he  perceived  in  progress  about  him,  seeing  more 
clearly  the  real  state  of  affairs  than  the  actors  themselves  ; 
but,  save  for  that  warning  to  Laurence,  he  kept  his  own 
counsel,  confident  that  any  little  mistakes  would  gradually 
be  set  right,  since  they  were  all  honest  and  true. 

The  hour  came  when  Mary's  little  spasms  of  embarrass- 
ment in  Aylmer's  presence — her  avoidance  of  him  at  one 
time,  her  evident  pleastu*e  in  his  society  at  another — struck 
Warner  as  forcibly  as  those  signs  appealed  to  Miss  Cameron, 
and  gave  him  food  for  troubled  thought  in  his  solitude ; 
but  the  first  opportunity  for  a  pleasant  talk  with  the  girl 
always  caused  him  to  forget  his  fears,  and  to  settle  back 
upon  the  conviction  that  Aylmer  had  neither  eyes  nor  ears, 
except  for  Violet  Cameron,  and  that  Mary  knew  it. 

One  evening,  when  Warner  was  dining  at  the  house, 
Violet  chanced  to  express  a  wish  that  she  had  a  good  por- 
trait of  her  cousin,  d  propos  to  her  disapproval  of  some 
proofs  of  a  photograph  for  which  Mary  had  sat.  She  had 
the  style  of  face  which  protography  always  maligns  ;  it 
reproduced  her  as  a  serious  washed-out  looking  little  dam- 
sel, hardening  the  physical  contours,  and  utterly  refusing 
to  give  a  glimpse  of  the  expression  which  rendered  her 
more  than  pretty. 

The  very  next  day  Warner  took  advantage  of  this  wish 
to  give  himself  a  great  pleasure.  That  girlish  countenance, 
so  full  of  beautiful  possibilities,  haunted  him  as  he  sat  at 
the  easel,  busy  with  his  historical  picture,  often  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  group  of  martial  figures  growing  into  life 
upon  the  canvas.  He  had  been  for  some  time  thinking  that 
if  ho  could  only  paint  the  face,  he  might  be  able  to  work 
more  easily  ;  at  present  his  longing  to  do  so  hindered  him 
sadly.  While  tracing  the  bronzed  lineaments  of  one  of  his 
heroic  Gauls,  that  idea  of  painting  her  would  grow  so 
strong,  that  not  unseldom  he  found  himself  putting  Mary's 
pensive  smile  on  the  bearded  lips,  or  softening  the  stern 
glance  of  the  eyes  with  the  dreamy  expression  which  beau- 
tified hers. 

Here  was  an  opportunity  not  to  be  wasted  ;  considering 


IN    THE    STUDIO.  227 

the  reason  he  had  to  give,  she  could  hardly  refuse  ;  so  he 
went  into  Mary's  room  to  try  his  powers  of  persuasion. 
The  house  stood  on  a  corner,  and  the  entrance  to  the 
sculptor's  quarters  was  in  a  different  street  from  Warner's, 
but  a  long  passage  connected  his  studio  with  the  chamber 
assigned  to  Mary,  on  one  side  of  which  was  the  sculptor's 
atelier,  on  the  other  his  living  apartments.  A  door  led 
into  a  salon  where  Miss  Vaughton  habitually  spent  her 
mornings,  and,  to  satisfy  Eliza  Bronson's  scruples,  it  had 
been  agreed  that  this  door  was  always  to  be  left  open  dur- 
ing Mary's  working  hours. 

"  Does  she  think  those  plaster-casts  Mr.  Vaughton 
means  to  leave  in  my  possession  will  contaminate  me  ?"  she 
said,  laughingly,  to  Violet.  "  I  am  not  likely  to  have  any 
visitors  except  herself  and  you." 

Mary  had  not  taken  Warner's  propinquity  into  consid- 
eration ;  but  on  that  very  account  his  coming  in  and  out 
could  hardly  fall  under  the  head  of  visits,  was  the  way  she 
settled  the  matter  later  in  her  mind,  when  his  appearance 
on  one  pretext  or  another  proved  a  daily  occurrence. 

So  this  morning  Warner  tapped  at  the  corridor  door, 
and  was  bidden  to  enter  by  a  voice  which  fluttered  a  little 
in  unison  with  Mary's  heart — that  familiar  knock  always 
set  it  beating  more  rapidly. 

The  chamber  was  picturesque  enough  ;  Violet  had  in- 
sisted upon  fitting  it  up  according  to  her  own  ideas,  and 
when  finished,  Mary  was  rather  horrified  at  the  thought  of 
what  all  its  elegance  must  have  cost. 

The  walls  were  hung  with  tapestry  ;  the  casts  artisti- 
cally arranged  ;  here  and  there  stood  easels  supporting  pic- 
tures ;  near  the  fireplace  was  spread  a  great  Turkey  carpet. 
There  were  carved  chairs  and  couches  covered  with  rich 
Eastern  stuffs,  marvelous  cabinets  filled  with  choice  curiosi- 
ties, books  and  ornaments  in  profusion,  but  everything  in 
keeping  with  the  purpose  for  which  the  room  was  meant. 

"  It  is  too  fine,"  said  Mary. 

"  You  could  not  work  any  more  easily  in  a  den,"  re- 
turned Violet. 

"  It  is  beautiful!"  cried  Mary.  "I  used  to  dream  of 
one  day  having  a  wonderful  studio,  but  I  couldn't  even  im- 
agine anything  so  perfect  as  this  !  Oh  !  you  spoil  me  ; 
you  make  me  walk  on  velvet ;  I  shall  grow  too  lazy  and 
self-indulgent  to  be  as  industrious  as  I  ought !" 


228  IN    THE    STUDIO. 

But  Violet  had  begun  to  read  her  character  too  well  to 
have  any  such  fears,  and  Mary  soon  discovered  that  her 
picturesque  surroundings  were  a  help  rather  than  a  hin- 
drance. 

Warner  entered,  and,  after  they  had  exchanged  saluta- 
tions, seated  himself,  and  Mary  continued  her  modeling  ; 
it  was  a  part  of  their  bargain  that  his  "  dropping  in " 
should  never  be  allowed  to  interrupt  her  work.  While 
they  talked  he  sat  and  watched  her  with  the  mingled  ad- 
miration of  a  lover  and  an  artist,  for  she  never  looked 
prettier  than  in  the  gray  costumes,  made  according  to  Vio- 
let's fancy,  which  she  wore  here  instead  of  her  ordinary 
somber  black. 

"  I  couldn't  sit  for  a  likeness,"  Mary  declared,  when  he 
had  led  the  conversation  up  to  the  matter  which  filled  his 
mind.  "  I  have  a  horror  of  it — portraits  always  look  so 
stiff,  and  mine  would  look  stiffer  than  anybody  else's  !" 

"  Now  that  is  casting  a  doubt  on  my  capacities," 
said  he. 

"  Oh,  you  know  what  I  meant  !" 

"  It  would  please  your  cousin  so  much,"  he  continued. 
"  We  would  keep  it  a  secret,  and  surprise  her  with  the 
picture." 

"  But  I  should  lose  so  much  time,"  urged  Mary. 

"  Come,  you  shall  neither  be  forced  to  pose  nor  lose 
your  time,"  continued  he.  "  I  will  make  a  study  of  the 
room  and  you  at  work.  Ah,  do  consent  !  remember  how 
delighted  Miss  Cameron  will  be." 

I  doubt  if  the  artful  wretch  ever  meant  the  painting  to 
go  out  of  his  own  possession,  but  Mary  could  not  know 
this,  and  it  seemed  ill-natured  to  refuse  his  request,  espe- 
cially as  it  was  intended  as  a  means  of  gratifying  Violet. 
Then  Warner  appealed  to  Miss  Vaughton — a  difficult  and 
noisy  undertaking,  owing  to  her  excessive  deafness.  For 
some  time  she  thought  he  was  telling  her  that  Mary  pro- 
posed to  enter  a  nunnery,  a  mistake  caused  by  the  excite- 
ment of  just  having  heard  that  an  acquaintance  had  era- 
braced  Roman  Catholicism  and  immured  herself  within  the 
walls  of  a  French  convent ;  and  she  pleaded  piteously  with 
Miss  Danvers  not  to  follow  so  shocking  an  example. 

However,  when  Warner,  after  shouting  until  nearly 
breathless,  at  length  succeeded  in  making  her  understand 
what  he  was  talking  about,  she  highly  approved  ;  so  did 


LIKE    JONAH'S     GOURD.  229 

her  brother,  who  entered  while  the  matter  was  under  dis- 
cussion, and  his  verdict  settled  the  business. 

Warner  rushed  off  in  search  of  the  canvas,  which  he 
had  provided  in  advance,  brought  an  easel  and  color-box, 
and  set  to  work  at  once.  His  rapidity  of  execution  made 
him  the  envy  of  his  fellow-painters,  but  his  progress  with 
this  picture  was  very  slow  indeed,  and  he  insisted  on  copy- 
ing the  hangings  and  adornments  of  the  room  with  pre- 
Raphaelite  fidelity. 

So  the  days  floated  on,  and  the  sweet  idyl  of  youth  and 
love  grew  in  beauty  and  interest  ;  though  there  would  be 
nothing  new  in  its  details,  if  translated  into  words,  bright 
and  fresh  as  it  seemed  to  those  young  hearts. 

He  uttered  no  open  avowal — the  time  had  not  come  for 
that.  Had  Miss  Vaughton  been  less  deaf  than  she  was, 
her  presence  would  have  proved  no  restraint.  But  the 
poem  of  their  lives  went  on,  each  additional  page  a  sweeter 
melody,  until  that  mediaeval  room  became  a  fairy  haunt, 
lifted  so  far  above  the  common  world  that  no  echo  of  its 
fret  and  din  could  reach  the  pair  in  their  enchanted  quiet. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

LIKE    JONAH'S    GOUED. 

ITJLIA  DA  RIMINI  had  long  since  perceived 
that  Miss  Cameron's  neglect  of  her  visits  sprang 
from  a  settled  resolution  to  limit  their  inter- 
course to  the  most  distant  terms,  but  she  ap- 
peared unconscious  of  the  slight,  and  never 
failed  to  greet  Violet  with  affectionate  fervor  when  they 
met  .at  the  houses  of  mutual  acquaintances. 

Even  during  her  previous  stay  in  Florence,  Miss 
Cameron,  disliking  the  woman  from  the  first,  had  never 
done  more  than  leave  an  occasional  card  or  an  invitation 
when  she  gave  a  general  party  ;  but  certain  that  this  sea- 
son not  even  so  much  attention  would  be  accorded,  before 
Violet  had  announced  her  day  for  receiving,  Giulia  adroitly 
found  it  out  from  Nina  and  adopted  the  same,  and  as 


230  LIKE    JONAH'S    GOURD. 

Violet  gave  no  balls  or  other  large  entertainments  this 
winter,  outside  of  her  little  knot  of  special  friends,  no- 
body's attention  was  drawn  to  the  fact  that  any  change 
had  taken  place  in  her  relations  with  the  duchess. 

"  Nevertheless,  Violet  Cameron  will  have  to  pay  for 
that  supper,"  Lady  Harcourt  said  one  day  to  Nina  and 
Sabakine. 

"  I  hope  the  fair  Giulia  may  try  to  make  her,"  returned 
the  prince.  "For  I  have  an  idea  the  American  will  out- 
general her  completely." 

Lady  Harcourt  shook  her  head. 

"  Good  gracious  !"  cried  Nina,  "  you  don't  mean  to  say 
you  think  Giulia  as  clever  a  woman  as  Violet  ?  She  is 
crafty  enough " 

"  Ah,"  interrupted  her  ladyship,  "you  have  hit  on  the 
very  word  !  Violet  Cameron  is  as  honest  and  truthful  as 
the  light — that  is  just  where  Giulia  will  gain  the  advan- 
tage." 

"  For  once  in  her  life  she  would  be  puzzled  to  find  out 
a  way  of  doing  any  harm,"  said  Sabakiue  ;  "  Miss  Cam- 
eron is  above  the  reach  of  her  malice — common  mortals 
are  not." 

"  And  since  she  is,  we  do  not  need  to  render  ourselves 
unhappy,"  rejoined  Lady  Harcourt,  calmly. 

"  Violet  would  never  forgive  any  of  us  for  venturing 
to  think  solicitude  necessary,"  said  Nina. 

"  No  doubt  of  that,"  replied  Lady  Harcourt,  "  so  we 
should  be  saved  the  exertion  in  any  case.  Well,  well,  it  is 
none  of  our  affair  ;  one  may  like  Miss  Cameron  and  adore 
Giulia,  still  we  can't  force  them  to  rush  into  each  other's 
arms." 

"  That  would  be  as  unexciting  to  Giulia  as  kissing  a 
pane  of  glass,"  said  Nina  gayly,  and  took  her  departure. 

"She  is  quite  ready  to  regard  Giulia  as  harmless  now 
that  Carlo  is  safe  out  of  her  clutches,"  said  Lady  liar- 
court. 

"  I  am  afraid  she  makes  her  exultation  and  security  a 
little  too  palpable  to  Giulia,"  returned  Sabakine.  "  The 
ides  of  March  are  not  over  !" 

His  words  were  more  significant  than  he  knew.  At  the 
time  Giulia  established  her  confidential  relations  with  the 
Greek,  she  entirely  changed  her  tactics  towards  Carlo. 
She  had  on  several  occasions  worried  him  with  scenes — 


LIKE    JONAH'S     GOURD.  231 

tender,  jealous,  upbraiding — but  neither  exhibition  had  any 
effect  except  to  make  him  avoid  her  because  he  objected  to 
having  his  indolent  comfort  disturbed. 

Had  she  continued  those  persecutions,  he  would  speedily 
have  hated  her  ;  but  when  her  behavior  convinced  him  that 
she  meant  to  submit  with  a  good  grace  to  the  inevitable,  he 
was  ready  to  be  on  pleasant  terms,  and  rather  admired  the 
tact  with  which  she  accepted  the  position.  Their  gambling 
propensities  formed  a  bond  between  them,  and  for  some 
time  after  their  intercourse  had  been  relegated  to  that 
of  i'amfliar  acquaintanceship,  Carlo's  luck  at  cards  took  a 
favorable  turn  which  inspired  him  with  a  feeling  of 
general  benevolence  in  which  Giulia  had  a  lion's  share, 
from  the  fact  that  on  several  occasions  when  they  played 
against  each  other,  she  was  a  considerable  loser. 

At  last,  one  night  at  the  club,  when  ho  had  suggested 
ecarte  to  the  Greek,  that  worthy  regretted  his  inability  to 
remain  ;  he  had  promised  to  join  Gherardi  and  a  few  others 
at  the  duchess's  house  to  indulge  in  a  little  "  poker,"  which 
had  become  a  favorite  game  with  them  all,  and  into  which 
the  Greek  carried  the  benefit  of  his  Californian  experiences. 

"  Why  not  come  too?"  Dimetri  asked.  "It  is  just  an 
impromptu  affair  ;  we  happened  to  meet  her  this  morning 
at  the  Skating  Rink  ;  she  said  then  if  you  had  been  there 
she  would  have  asked  you  to  join  us.  You  had  better  go 
than  stop  moping  here." 

Having  nothing  to  do  until  midnight,  when  he  was  to 
meet  his  wife  at  Potaski's,  Carlo  went  to  the  duchess's,  and 
found  "poker"  so  attractive  that  on  Giulia's  proposing  a 
similar  party  a  few  evenings  afterwards,  he  consented  with- 
out hesitation. 

"  I  thought  you  meant  to  quarrel  with  me,"  said  she. 

"  I  am  sure  you  could  not  have  thought  that,"  he 
replied.  "  Quarrel  with  you,  duchess  ?  As  well  expect  a 
man  to  quarrel  with  the  light — the  sun — any  beautiful 
thing,  the  sight  of  which  is  necessary  for  happiness  !" 

"  It  would  be  very  silly  in  both  of  us,"  she  said  with  her 
frankest  smile.  "  Nothing  forms  so  sure  a  bond  of  friend- 
ship as  a  little  sentimental  folly  of  which  two  people  are 
cured — it  is  odd  that  one  could  not  go  back  if  one  tried?" 

"  Now  that  is  very  uncomplimentary  I" 

"  Nonsense,  Carlo  ;  you  know  what  I  mean  !  Come,  we 
are  to  be  good  comrades  ;  yes,  and  help  each  other  if  either 


232  LIKE    JONAH'S     GOURD. 

should  want  help.  Only  don't  be  stand-offish — nothing 
would  be  so  certain  to  make  people  gossip,  after  our  loug 
friendship." 

"  I  never  dreamed  of  being  so,"  said  he,  a  little  nettled 
at  finding  that  her  cure  was  as  effectual  as  his  own,  even 
while  he  secretly  applauded  her  wisdom,  and  rejoiced  that 
she  did  not  mean  to  make  cards  a  bore  in  her  society. 

"Oh,  I  knew  very  well  whose  work  it  was,"  returned 
Giulia,  with  stately  pleasantry.  "  My  dear  Carlo,  I  shall 
be  charmed  to  see  you  soften  the  American  icicle  ;  but 
surely,  even  if  Miss  Cameron  is  too  virtuous  to  play  herself, 
she  need  not  grudge  you  a  little  relaxation." 

Carlo  laughed,  but  he  knew  that  any  disclaimers  would 
be  wasted  ;  nobody  was  better  aware  than  Giulia  that  he 
would  as  soon  have  thought  of  flirting  with  a  sister  as  with 
Miss  Cameron,  but  he  reflected  that  if  he  vexed  her  too  far, 
refused  to  game  at  her  house,  she  might  invent  reports 
which  would  disturb  Violet,  and  he  was  too  well  acquainted 
with  Florence  to  forget  that  the  more  improbable  the  slan- 
der, the  more  readily  it  would  find  credence. 

So  he  quite  put  his  going  down  to  a  care  for  Miss  Cam- 
eron's reputation,  and  really  felt  very  virtuous  in  being  able 
to  shield  the  gratification  of  his  master-passion  under  such 
fine  motives — they  would  give  an  unanswerable  reason  also 
to  Nina,  if  she  discovered  that  he  had  been  drawn  back  to 
the  enchantress's  bower.  She  would  consider  it  better  for 
him  to  risk  losing  a  little  money  to  Giulia  than,  by  break- 
ing with  her  completely,  rouse  her  anger  to  such  a  pitch 
that  she  would  revenge  herself  by  scandals  against  Miss 
Cameron,  well  knowing  that  she  could  hardly  choose  any 
form  of  retaliation  so  painful  to  both  husband  and  wife. 

The  duchess  belonged  to  the  order  of  schemers  which, 
though  capable  of  inventing  plots  on  a  grand  scale  and  pos- 
sessing the  generalship  to  carry  them  out,  is  petty  and 
crafty  enough  never  to  neglect  the  smallest  cunning  device 
which  can  prove  of  personal  use  or  the  means  of  annoying 
another. 

One  rainy  day  three  or  four  ladies  and  as  many  gentle- 
men were  killing  time  by  playing  baccarat  in  her  salon — 
old  Mademoiselle  de  Roquefort  forced  to  sit  by  and  act  as 
duenna  ;  not  that  her  presence  checked  either  the  betting 
or  the  reckless  conversation  to  which,  accustomed  as  she 
was,  her  unfortunate  conscience  could  never  grow  indiffer- 


LIKE    JONAirs     GOURD.  233 

ent,  but  a  duenna  Giulia  must  have — it  was  almost  her  sole 
sacrifice  to  appearances,  and  poor  mademoiselle's  sufferings 
rendered  it  a  pleasure  too. 

Somebody  mentioned  Miss  Cameron's  name,  and  it 
struck  the  duchess  this  was  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
making  it  appear  that  she  and  the  lady  were  on  visiting 
terms.  She  had  taken  several  cards  of  Violet's  out  of  the 
baskets  in  the  salons  of  mutual  acquaintances,  a  couple  of 
the  purloined  bits  of  pasteboard  lay  among  those  left  by 
her  own  visitors,  and  she  possessed  another  which  she  had 
devoted  to  a  special  purpose. 

She  quitted  the  room  on  some  pretext,  got  the  card 
and  gave  it  to  her  footman,  ordering  him  presently  to  enter 
and  present  it  as  if  Miss  Cameron  were  waiting  below. 

"  It  is  just  to  play  a  joke  on  Signor  Gherardi,"  she  said  ; 
"  be  sure  you  are  very  serious,  and  do  your  part  naturally. 
Wait  twenty  minutes  or  so,  and  then  come  in." 

Before  the  time  had  elapsed,  Lady  Harcourt  was  an- 
nounced. The  duchess  would  rather  not  have  had  a  person 
so  intimate  with  Miss  Cameron  a  witness  of  the  maneuver, 
but  she  reflected  that  it  was  very  doubtful  if  her  ladyship 
would  pay  sufficient  attention  to  the  matter  ever  to  mention 
it  to  the  American,  and  in  case  she  did,  a  denial  on  the  crea- 
ture's part  of  having  come  to  the  Palazzo  Rimini  would  ap- 
pear a  palpable  fib. 

Any  way  it  was  too  late  to  countermand  her  order  ;  the 
new-comer  had  scarcely  got  seated  before  the  footman  ap- 
peared. Giulia,  occupied  in  dealing  the  hands,  said  aloud, 
as  the  man  presented  the  card  : 

"  Who  is  it,  Alessandro?" 

Gherardi  sat  next  her  ;  he  unceremoniously  leaned  over 
and  read  out  the  name  before  the  servant  could  speak  : 

"  Miss  Cameron  !" 

"  Oh,  good  heavens  !"  exclaimed  the  duchess  ;  "  what 
will  she  think  to  find  us  playing  cards  at  this  unholy  hour — 
and  the  room  is  blue  with  tobacco  smoke  !" 

"  We  shall  all  be  ruined  in  her  estimation,"  laughed 
Gherardi. 

"  Oh,  you  may  laugh,  but  I  am  really  afraid — she  is  so 
strict !"  cried  the  duchess.  "  What  shall  I  do,  Lady  liar- 
court  ?" 

"  Let  her  come  up,  by  all  means,"  replied  her  ladyship, 
calmly.  She  looked  the  picture  of  indifference,  but  all  the 


234  LIKE    JONAH'S     GOURD. 

same  she  was  watching.     Giulia's  agitation  struck  her  as  a 
well-done  bit  of  comedy,  played  for  some  secret  purpose. 

"  I  would  not,"  added  one  of  the  other  ladies — a  country- 
woman of  Miss  Cameron's,  to  whom  baccarat  by  daylight 
was  a  rather  stolen  amusement.  "  What  is  the  good  of 
shocking  anybody  who  has  scruples  ?" 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  duchess,  looking  relieved. 
"  Alessandro,  did  the  porter  say  I  was  in  ?" 

"  He  said  that  he  was  not  certain — he  would  see,  eccel- 
lenza,"  returned  Alessa-ndro,  with  true  Italian  readiness. 

"  Then  say  you  are  out !"  cried  Gherardi ;  "  gone  to 
vespers." 

They  all  laughed  as  if  the  idea  were  a  capital  joke, 
though  in  reality  the  duchess  was  very  regular  in  her  devo- 
tions, and  Sabakine  vowed  that  when  she  had  a  new  sin  to 
commit,  she  always  went  through  a  novena  to  insure 
success. 

"  Will  you  all  promise  not  to  betray  me  ?"  she  asked. 
"  Lady  Harcourt — Gherardi — all  of  you  ?" 

"  Yes,  we  promise,"  they  answered. 

"  Then  bid  the  porter  say  I  am  out — he  did  not  know  it 
— Iliad  gone  out  through  the  garden,  Alessandro." 

"  Gone  to  vespers,  and  I  went  with  her,"  added  Ghe- 
rardi. 

The  servant  retired,  grave  as  a  judge. 

"  The  Anglo-Saxon  race  has  such  odd  ideas  !"  cried 
Giulia.  "  No  better  than  us  Latins — I  beg  your  pardon,  Lady 
Harcourt,  but  one  never  knows  what  trifle  English  and 
Americans  may  be  shocked  at." 

"Don't  mind  me — I  have  no  prejudices,"  returned  her 
ladyship. 

"  I  really  do  admire  Miss  Cameron  so  much,"  added 
Giulia. 

"I  hate  her,"  said  Gherardi,  "because  I  know  her 
beauty  and  her  money  are  out  of  my  reach.  But  even  the 
fair  American  must  not  be  permitted  to  interfere  with  busi- 
ness." 

They  resumed  their  game,  and  presently  Lady  Har- 
court took  her  leave.  She  did  not  happen  to  see  Violet 
Cameron  until  a  couple  of  days  afterwards,  but  she  had  not 
forgotten  the  little  episode. 

"  Have  you  been  at  dear  Giulia's  lately  ?"  she  asked. 

"  No,"  Violet  replied,  paused  an  instant,  then  added : 


LIKE    JONAWS    GOURD  235 

"  You  ask  me  that  just  in  the  hope  of  teasing  !  I  told  you 
and  Nina  I  had  not  been  at  her  house  this  season,  or  invited 
her  to  mine,  and  had  no  intention  of  doing  so." 

"I  thought  perhaps  you  had  changed  your  mind,"  said 
er  ladyship  ;  "you  know  I  told  yon  at  the  time  that  it  is 
always  useless  to  make  an  exception  of  a  person  whom 
everybody  receives." 

"I  dare  say  it  is,"  was  all  the  answer  Violet  returned. 

"Now  I  enjoy  dear  Giulia's  society;  I  like  to  watch 
her  maneuvers.  Usually  they  are  so  deep  it  is  difficult  to 
find  them  out,  and  that  always  interests  me." 

"  She  does  not  happen  to  interest  me." 

"  A  pity,  a  pity,"  rejoined  Lady  Harcourt,  laughing, 
though  her  voice  held  a  tone  of  warning.  "  But  I  know 
you  are  adamant  when  once  you  have  made  up  your  mind, 
so  I  only  say — a  pity  !  Have  you  seen  Bellucci's  new 
picture  ?" 

She  entered  into  a  dissertation  concerning  the  merits  of 
the  painting,  and  seemed  to  forget  the  duchess  as  com- 
pletely as  Violet  did,  but  as  she  was  driving  home,  she  said 
to  herself  : 

"  Miss  Cameron  will  certainly  have  to  pay  for  that  sup- 
per !  Well,  I  can  do  nothing  !  If  I  talked  a  month  it 
would  only  make  her  more  contemptuous  of  Giulia's  power  ; 
it  is  best  to  leave  matters  alone.  Trying  to  guard  a  person 
against  trouble  is  the  surest  way  to  help  it  forward." 

But  she  thought  often  of  the  matter,  and  her  suspicions 
that  Giulia  contemplated  mischief  grew  stronger  ;  though, 
well  informed  as  she  usually  kept  herself,  even  her  ladyship 
did  not  know  that  as  time  elapsed  these  impromptu  parties 
at  the  duchess's  occurred  more  and  more  frequently. 

At  last,  without  hesitation,  Giulia  said  to  the  men  : 

"  Why  shouldn't  we  have  regular  evenings?  Come,  it 
shall  be  a  private  club  !  I  will  furnish  the  rooms,  and  you 
shall  divide  the  expense  of  wine  and  seltz  and  cigars 
among  you — then  we  shall  all  be  perfectly  at  our  ease." 

In  spite  of  her  eagerness  to  entangle  Carlo  hopelessly 
in  this  new  web,  the  idea  of  going  to  any  expense  weighed 
on  her  soul.  She  could  stop  even  while  counting  up  that 
ready  money  of  his  to  regret  each  glass  of  punch  which  she 
had  to  pay  for,  and  finally  hit  on  this  method,  perfectly  in- 
different as  to  what  any  of  them  might  think  of  her  parsi- 
mony. 


236  LIKE    JONAHS     GOURD. 

The  others  applauded  her  proposal,  but  Carlo  hesitated 
a  little  ;  he  was  afraid  Nina  might  hear  of  the  matter  and 
suspect  that  under  such  excuse  he  had  drifted  back  to  his 
old  intimacy  with  the  duchess,  though  his  fear  did  not 
arise  so  much  from  consideration  for  his  wife's  feelings  as 
from  a  dread  of  her  believing  him  weak  enough  to  be 
deluded  anew. 

Giulia  read  his  thoughts  easily  enough,  and  determined 
to  render  refusal  impossible. 

"  Carlo  says  nothing,"  she  cried  playfully  ;  "  he  has  to 
ask  consent  !" 

"  What  an  idea !"  said  Gherardi.  "  You  forget, 
duchess,  that  Carlo's  matrimonial  tie  is  a  garland  of 
flowers,  not  an  iron  fetter  !" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  returned  she,  with  the  grave  dig- 
nity by  which,  when  she  chose,  she  could  control  any  one 
of  them  ;  "  even  in  jest  I  do  not  like  such  an  insinuation  ! 
Nina  Magnoletti  is  the  dearest  friend  I  have  in  the  world. 
Carlo  might  play  cards  the  week  through  in  this  house 
without  scruple  on  her  part."  Then  she  added,  with  a 
relapse  into  playfulness  :  "  No,  no  ;  the  restriction  would 
come  from  a  very  different  quarter,  eh,  Carlo  ?" 

Lightly  as  she  spoke,  the  glance  she  fastened  on  him 
warned  the  marchese  of  the  direction  her  anger  would  take 
in  case  he  refused,  and  the  eagerness  with  which  his  com- 
panions called  on  Giulia  to  explain,  showed  how  easy  it 
would  be  for  her  to  set  the  ball  in  motion. 

"  No  influence  could  count  against  a  wish  of  yours, 
duchess  ;  you  know  that  only  too  well,"  said  he. 

"  Bravo  !"  she  cried.  "  Then  it  is  a  bargain  !  And  we 
will  keep  our  club  a  profound  secret,  else  we  shall  have  a 
crowd — is  that  agreed  ?" 

They  all  consented,  and  this  removed  Carlo's  last 
scruple,  as  Giulia  had  been  sure  it  would  do,  and  no  one 
caught  the  rapid  glance  of  triumph  which  she  flashed  into 
the  Greek's  wickedly  smiling  eyes. 

Carlo's  increasing  infatuation  for  cards  caused  Nina  a 
great  deal  of  une.asiness,  but  he  had  behaved  so  well  in  the 
affair  of  the  duchess  that  she  feared  this  winter  to  attempt 
any  open  opposition  in  regard  to  his  crowning  weakness — 
thankful  to  compound  for  a  form  of  amusement  which,  if  it 
caused  pecuniary  embarrassments,  was  at  least  engrossing 
enough  to  spare  her  the  pain  of  seeing  him  rush  into  a 


LIKE    JONAH'S     GOURD.  237 

fresh  flirtation.  His  good  fortune,  too,  lasted  for  some 
time,  and  he  told  her  of  it  :  so  she  quieted  her  fears  by 
trusting  that  his  lucky  vein  would  continue,  and  as  she 
believed  that  he  usually  played  at  the  club  when  he  had  no 
card  parties  at  home,  she  remained  quiescent. 

"  He  must  amuse  himself — he  has  a  right,"  she  said  to 
Violet;  "and  oh,  my  dear,  I'd  pawn  my  diamonds  with 
satisfaction,  if  it  were  necessary,  just  to  reward  him  for  the 
pleasure  it  gives  me  to  see  how  all  Giulia's  efforts  are 
wasted." 

For  that  astute  lady  did  not  hesitate  in  Nina's  presence 
to  affect  pique  when  the  marchese  paid  attention  to  some 
new  lady,  and  would  say  to  the  little  wife  : 

"  Carlo  runs  away  from  me  as  if  I  were  the  plague  ! 
Violet  Cameron  has  made  him  hate  me — ah,  don't  you  let 
her  make  you  hate  me  too  !" 

"  She  never  tries  ;  she  could  not  if  she  would,"  returned 
Nina,  wondering  whether  Giulia  was  most  piqued  at  Vio- 
let's having  betrayed  her  to  Carlo,  or  at  the  difficulty  she 
found  in  winning  Laurence  Aylmer  from  his  allegiance  to 
his  beautiful  countrywoman. 

But  as  the  weeks  went  on,  though  her  mind  continued 
at  rest  as  to  her  husband's  cure,  she  felt  less  confident  in 
regard  to  Aylmer's  ability  to  resist  the  duchess's  wiles. 
Giulia's  infatuation  only  deepened,  and  her  resolve  to  sub- 
due Laurence  waxed  stronger  with  each  fresh  proof  of  the 
slight  progress  she  was  making.  She  persecuted  him  a 
great  deal,  and  the  ground  on  which  she  stationed  herself 
appealed  so  keenly  to  his  chivalry  that,  though  he  grew 
more  and  more  impatient  and  heartily  cursed  his  ill  luck, 
he  could  not  refuse  to  listen  when  she  poured  her  troubles 
into  his  ears — inventing  marvelous  stories,  pretending  fear 
of  her  very  life,  declaring  that  she  had  been  warned  of  a 
plot  to  poison  her  if  all  other  means  failed  to  give  the  duke 
his  victory,  showing  letters  from  a  faithful  friend  in  Paris 
who  kept  her  informed  of  what  her  enemies  there  were 
doing  (letters  written  according  to  her  own  dictation),  and 
playing  her  part  so  well  that  he  could  not  help  feeling  sorry 
for  her,  though  his  distaste  grew  into  positive  aversion. 

Nina  saw  many  signs  which  disturbed  her  ;  Lady  Har- 
court  and  Sabakine  saw  them  too,  and  they  were  all  gen- 
uinely troubled,  for  they  had  set  their  hearts  on  Aylmer's 
winning  Miss  Cameron. 


238  LIKE    JONAH'S     GOURD. 

"  I  did  not  think  he  would  be  such  an  idiot,"  said  Nina  ; 
"  I  really  believed  he  was  a  little  less  weak  than  the  rest  of 
his  sex." 

"  Oh,  my  dear,  it  is  just  because  of  his  looking  superior 
and  poetical,"  rejoined  Lady  Harcourt  ;  "  he  is  made  of  the 
same  clay  as  the  others,  only  the  outside  stamp  is  dif- 
ferent." 

"  He  can't  get  rid  of  her,  that  I  believe  is  the  truth," 
said  Sabakiue,  with  a  generosity  marvelous  in  one  man's 
judgment  of  another. 

"  He  shouldn't  have  put  himself  in  a  position  where  any 
such  effort  would  have  been  necessary,"  cried  Nina. 

"  Come  now,  be  merciful !"  laughed  Sabakine.  "There 
is  no  male  animal  in  all  history  whom  you  women  despise 
as  you  do  Joseph.  You  can't  expect  any  fellow  of  this 
generation  to  incur  your  scorn  by  following  his  example." 

Nina  would  have  liked  to  warn  Laurence,  but  her  two 
friends  advised  her  to  leave  matters  alone — interference 
would  only  make  them  worse — and,  to  her  relief,  Miss 
Cameron's  persistent  seclusion  this  winter  kept  her  from 
perceiving  Giulia's  arts,  and  no  hint  of  the  rumors  which 
began  to  be  whispered  about  were  carried  to  her  ears. 

There  were  other  rumors  too,  which  did  not  reach  Nina 
or  Aylmer  any  more  than  they  did  Violet — that  Carlo  had 
transferred  his  devotion  to  Miss  Cameron  ;  but  they  were 
very  softly  whispered,  and  even  Lady  Harcourt  and  Saba- 
kine failed  to  trace  them  to  their  rightful  source — the 
duchess  and  her  ally  the  Greek. 

Then,  as  time  wore  on,  Carlo  and  Aylmer  became  less 
intimate.  They  were  perfectly  friendly  and  cordial,  but 
did  not  see  each  other  so  often.  The  duchess  managed 
that  easily  enough  by  letting  each  know  things  of  the  other 
which  caused  mutual  disapprobation.  Aylmer  was  aware 
that  Carlo  played  more  and  more  heavily,  and  lost  a  great 
deal,  and  Carlo  wondered  that  Laurence  could  foolishly 
risk  his  chances  with  Violet^ind  felt,  in  spite  of  his 
genuine  indifference  to  Giulia,uiat  vague  jealousy  a  man 
usually  does  feel  towards  his  probable  successor  in  a 
woman's  regard,  however  glad  he  may  be  to  recover  his 
own  freedom. 

So  the  duchess  was  kept  busy,  and  her  excitement  con- 
tinued. Besides  all  the  rest,  she  had  a  good  deal  of  diffi- 
culty in  restraining  the  Greek's  jealousy  of  Aylmer  within 


MARY'S    RESOLVli.  2'39 

bounds,  and  equal  trouble  to  keep  the  American  from  dis 
playing  his  contempt  for  Dimetri  ;    and  the  days  flew  on 
with  her,  and  her  loves  and  her  hates  grew  like  Jonah's 
gourd,  though  they  were  deeply  rooted  and  full  of  vitality 
as  forest  trees. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 
M  ART5  8      KESOL  VE. 

HE  bas-reliefs  were  cast  in  plaster,  and  just  then 
the  Florentine  artists  opened  an  exhibition  for 
the  benefit  of  some  charitable  scheme. 

Mr.  Vaughton  sent  Mary's  productions  with- 
out her  knowledge,  and  they  received  high  en- 
comiums, pleasing  a  connoisseur  so  much  that  he  ordered 
them  in  marble.  Mary's  delight  at  her  first  commission, 
and  her  first  breath  of  praise  and  success,  can  only  be 
realized  by  one  who  has  known  a  similar  moment  in  early 
youth. 

Not  only  the  pleasurable  hope  of  independence — that 
strongest  longing  in  every  noble  nature — but  those  visions 
of  fame  which  are  so  dazzling  to  the  young,  these  were 
Mary's  now,  and  to  Violet  it  was  delightful  to  see  and 
sympathize  with  her  happiness. 

One  cloud  still  lingered  on  Mary's  horizon,  heavy 
enough  sorely  to  dim  its  brightness  :  she  could  not  feel  at 
ease  in  Laurence  Aylmer's  society,  and  the  recollections 
from  which  this  discomfort  arose  sorely  troubled  her,  in 
spite  of  her  absorbing  occupations.  About  this  time — she 
had  now  been  nearly  two  months  in  her  new  home — she 
came  to  a  resolution  in  regard  to  the  matter  which 
weighed  so  heavily  on  her  mind.  She  could  not  endure 
longer,  she  must  set  herself  right.  The  task  seemed  very 
hard — bold,  unmaidenly  almost,  she  feared — but  good 
heavens  !  anything  would  be  better  than  to  let  this  mis- 
construction remain  ;  to  have  him  think — think Oh, 

even  in  her  solitude  Mary  shivered,  and  broke  off  abruptly 
in  her  meditation.  She  must  speak,  that  she  determined 
upon,  and  it  so  happened  that  the  very  day  after  she  came 


240  MARY'S     RESOLVE. 

to  this  resolve,  an  opportunity  to  carry  it  into  effect  was 
afforded  her. 

Mr.  Vaughton  had  gone  out,  she  knew,  and  she  had 
been  waiting  to  consult  him  about  certain  changes  in  her 

o  o 

work — the  bust  of  a  friend  which  she  was  making  from 
photographs.  After  a  while  she  heard  some  one  in  the 
adjoining  studio,  and  supposing  that  her  master  had 
returned,  tapped  on  the  door  and  opened  it  without  wait- 
ing for  permission  to  enter.  There  stood  Laurence 
Aylmer. 

"  Good-morning,  Miss  Danvers,"  he  said,  walking 
towards  her.  "The  workmen  in  the  outer  rooms  told  me 
Mr.  Vaughton  was  not  here,  but  I  wanted  a  peep  at  the 
new  group,  so  I  came  in.  May  I  not  see  what  you  are 
working  at  too  !  I  have  just  come  from  the  Exposition, 
and  heard  a  great  deal  of  praise  of  your  bas-reliefs  ;  they 
are  excellent." 

"  Pray  come  in,"  she  answered,  mastering,  as  best  she 
might,  the  trouble  caused  by  this  unexpectedly  speedy 
granting  of  her  wishes. 

"  What  a  beau  ideal  of  a  studio  !"  he  exclaimed, 
following  her  in,  and  closing  the  door  behind  him.  "  I 
have  never  been  permitted  to  enter  it,  you  remember. 
Thanks  for  removing  the  embargo." 

She  felt  herself  color  as  she  recollected  that  once,  when 
Violet  had  spoken  in  his  presence  of  bringing  him,  she  had 
received  the  proposal  in  silence,  and  perceiving  her  cousin 
look  at  her  in  surprise,  had  murmured  an  excuse  about 
wanting  to  wait  until  her  bas-reliefs  were  finished  before 
she  admitted  visitors. 

She  said  something  of  the  same  sort  now,  conscious  of 
saying  it  very  tamely,  fancying,  too,  that  a  little  of  her 
discomposure  was  reflected  in  his  manner,  as  she  had  often 
in  similar  moments  been  tormented  by  thinking  the  case. 

"  What  a  charming  nook  it  is  !"  he  added  quickly. 

"  My  cousin's  taste,  you  might  be  sure  !  She  is  much 
more  genuinely  artistic  than  any  artist  I  know,"  said  Mary, 
glad  not  only  to  give  vent  to  her  enthusiastic  admiration 
of  Violet,  but  to  distract  his  attention  from  her  annoying 
blushes  ;  and  she  had  decided  long  since  in  her  own  mind 
that  to  mention  Violet's  name  was  enough  to  make  Lau- 
rence Aylmer  forget  everything  else. 

"  Yes,"  was  all  he  said,  but  Mary  saw  his  eyes  wander 


MARY'S    RESOLVE.  241 

about  the  room  with  a  positively  caressing  expression 
She  had  noticed  the  same  look  in  them  frequently,  when, 
during  his  visits  to  the  house,  he  would,  thinking  himself 
unobserved,  touch  some  object  that  belonged  to  her — a  book 
she  had  just  laid  down  ;  a  fan  or  glove  thrown  carelessly 
on  a  table. 

"  As  you  are  one  of  her  special  friends,  you  shall  have 
her  particular  seat,"  continued  Mary,  pointing  towards  a 
great  carved  easy-chair  that  stood  on  the  Turkey  carpet. 

He  turned  towards  her  with  a  quick  smile — she  thought 
an  inquiring  one.  Then  he  caught  sight  of  old  Miss  Vaugh- 
ton,  seated  just  beyond  the  arched  doorway,  leaning  plac- 
idly back,  a  newspaper  on  her  knee,  and  her  spectacles  on 
her  nose  ;  but  it  needed  only  a  glance  to  discover  that  she 
was  sound  asleep. 

"I  won't  disturb  her  by  speaking,"  he  said.  "It  would 
be  positively  wicked  ;  but,  oh,  what  a  negligent  duenna  !" 

"  Pray  don't  tell  Miss  Bronson,  else  she  will  want  to 
come  herself,"  replied  Mary,  trying  to  speak  naturally. 

"Ah,  Miss  Bronson  would  never  fall  asleep  on  the  post 
of  duty,  I  am  certain,"  he  said,  laughing. 

"  Never,"  said  Mary,  laughing  too,  though  a  little  ner- 
vously. 

"  But  I  think  she  would  let  me  in,"  he  continued.  "  I 
flatter  myself  that  she  is  good  enough  rather  to  like  me." 

"Oh,  she  considers  you  absolutely  perfect,  I  believe," 
said  Mary.  "  She  is  never  tired  of  chanting  your  praises 
to  Violet  and  me." 

"That  must  be  somewhat  of  a  trial  to  you  both." 

"  We  bear  it,"  said  Mary,  with  a  demurely  mischievous 
manner,  at  which  he  smiled. 

"  We  must  have  crosses  in  this  world,"  he  replied,  exult- 
ing in  his  soul  to  think  that  he  was  often  a  subject  of  con- 
versation in  Violet's  house  and  presence. 

"  Yes,"  said  Mary;  and  recollecting  the  cross  which  had 
lain  so  heavily  on  her  of  late,  and  her  determination  to  get 
rid  of  it,  no  matter  how  difficult  the  exertion,  she  made  no 
further  effort  to  continue  that  playful  badinage. 

Aylmer  moved  forward,  and  laid  his  hand  on  the  back 
of  the  chair  which  Mary  had  called  her  cousin's  ;  and  the 
girl,  partlyio  give  him  a  moment  to  himself,  partly  to  find 
some  occupation  wherewith  to  steady  her  mind,  turned  to 
her  clay  and  began  moistening  it. 
11 


242  MAWS    RESOLVE. 

Aylmer  had  come  to  Vaughton's  studio  in  the  hope 
Violet  might  be  visiting  her  relative,  so  that  he  could  enjoy 
her  society  for  awhile  under  the  pretext  of  wishing  to  see 
Miss  Danvers's  work.  Actually  he  had  not  seen  her  £or 
six-and-thirty  hours  !  He  had  missed  her  on  the  previous 
night  at  both  receptions  where  he  went  ;  had  called  at  her 
house  a  little  while  before,  and  been  told  she  was  out. 

He  fully  recognized  the  wisdom  of  the  professor's  sug- 
gestions, and  meant  to  obey  them  to  the  letter  ;  but  depriva- 
tion of  her  society  he  felt  would  only  render  his  role  more 
difficult  when  they  did  meet.  Absence  filled  his  heart  so 
full  that  to  repress  its  eagerness  and  appear  contented  with 
the  friendship  she  offered  must  severely  try  all  his  powers 
of  endurance. 

He  was  glad  now  that  she  and  circumstances  had  com- 
bined to  force  upon  him  the  reticence  which  he  knew  the 
time  had  not  arrived  to  break  ;  left  to  himself,  he  should 
certainly  have  broken  it,  in  spite  of  his  determination,  and 
perhaps  have  ruined  his  hopes  utterly  by  forcing  a  decision 
upon  her  before  her  heart  had  spoken  loudly  enough  to 
overcome  her  scruples  and  what  she  termed  the  voice  of 
reason.  She  did  care  for  him — she  must  !  It  could  not  be 
that  this  love  which  pervaded  his  whole  being  by  its 
strength,  was  utterly  without  power  to  move  her.  She 
cared — a  thousand  trifles,  assured  him  that  she  cared  !  If 
he  continued  patient  and  prudent  he  should  overcome  her 
causes  for  hesitation  and  win  his  prize  ! 

He  roused  himself  to  recollect  that  this  was  neither  the 
time  nor  place  to  indulge  in  reverie.  He  crossed  the  room, 
and  stood  beside  Mary — praised  the  bust,  asked  questions, 
examined  the  photographs — waiting,  hoping  that  she  might 
speak  of  her  cousin  again  :  even  to  hear  Violet's  name  men- 
tioned by  this  sweet,  pure  girl  who  loved  her  was  a  pleasure. 
And  Mary  endeavored  to  talk  quietly,  clutching  the  while 
at  her  wits  to  find  courage  to  begin  the  subject  upon  which 
she  wished  to  converse — reviling  her  own  folly,  since  such" 
hesitation  might  lose  her  this  opportune  chance. 

Miss  Vaughton  might  wake  ;  he  might  take  his  leave 
hastily,  as  he  almost  always  did  if  by  any  hazard  he  found 
her  alone  when  he  called  at  Violet's  house,  and  he  must  not 
go  till  she  had  spoken — he  must  not  !  She  might  have  to 
wait  weeks  before  so  favorable  an  occasion  arose  again,  and 
she  was  wasting  the  time  !  This  reflection  nerved  her  into 


MARY'S    RESOLVE.  243 

desperation,  that  tolerably  well  supplied  the  place  of  her 
ordinary  courage,  which  had  so  cruelly  deserted  her. 

And  he,  a  little  preoccupied — disappointed  at  not  having 
found  Violet — unable  to  tear  himself  away  without  at  least 
learning  whether  there  was  a  hope  of  her  yet  coming,  halted 
in  conversation  almost  as  much  as  Mary.  Then,  growing 
conscious  that  she  would  find  his  visit  a  terrible  bore  if  he 
could  not  be  a  little  less  dull,  he  caught  at  some  topic  for 
talk,  and  unfortunately,  as  he  thought,  hit  on  some  reminis- 
cences of  the  days  when  he  used  to  be  a  frequent  guest  at 
her  father's  house. 

"  It  seems  a  long  while  ago,"  he  said,  "  still  longer  when 
I  look  at  you  and  see  how  you  have  changed." 

He  stopped  suddenly.  How  much  or  how  little  her 
father's  death  had  let  her  into  the  secrets  of  his  affairs  he 
could  not  tell,  but  she  did  know  there  had  been  difficulties, 
between  himself  and  George  Danvers,  and  worse  than  all, 
she  knew  something  of  the  plan  the  latter  at  one  time  con- 
ceived in  which  she  was  to  have  a  share. 

How  idiotically  stupid  to  remind  her  of  that  season  ! 
What  might  she  not  think  !  He  glanced  at  her — she  had 
become  scarlet ;  then,  before  he  could  remove  his  gaze,  she 
grew  deathly  pale. 

Now  she  must  speak  !  She  had  been  wondering  how 
she  was  ever  to  find  words,  but  the  consciousness  of  having 
betrayed  such  agitation  rendered  her  more  frantic,  and  she 
burst  out  : 

"Mr.  Aylmer,  there  is  something  I  have  wanted  to  say 
to  you  ever  since  I  came  to  Florence — I  can  never  be  at 
ease  with  you  till  I  have.  Maybe  it  is  wrong  for  a  girl  to 

speak "  She  broke  off,  reflected  an  instant,  then, 

though  the  color  came  back  to  her  cheeks  in  a  torrent,  and 
she  trembled  in  every  limb  from  nervous  excitement,  she 
lifted  her  head  proudly,  and  added  in  a  firm  voice  :  "  No, 
it  cannot  be  wrong  for  a  girl  to  set  herself  right  !  There 
*is  something  higher  than  conventional  scruples — womanly 
dignity." 

"  And  I  never  saw  a  girl  with  more,  or  who  knew  bet- 
ter how  to  make  it  respected,"  he  said,  gently,  though  he 
looked  a  little  uncomfortable. 

"  I  thank  you,"  Mary  answered.  "  I  know  you  are 
honest  and  good — you  will  not  misunderstand  me.  Wait, 


244  MART'S     RESOLVE. 

please  ;  if  I  don't  say  it  quickly  I  shan't  be  able  to  say  it  at 
all." 

She  pressed  her  hand  hard  against  her  heart,  trembling 
more  violently,  but  her  tones  were  firm  still  as  she  went 
on  : 

"  I  know  what  my  father  once  talked  to  you  about. 
During  his  illness  he  told  me.  Oh,  he  thought  at  one 
time  that  a — a  marriage  between  you  and  me  would  be 

possible — that — that Oh,  I  can't  tell  you  how  it  has 

humiliated  me  to  think  you  might  suppose  I  had — had 
cared  for  you  !  And  when  we  meet  now  it  is  always  in 
my  mind.  Then  I  act  so  silly  that  I  am  afraid  other  peo- 
ple might  notice — and — and — oh,  it  drives  me  almost  wild 
sometimes  !  I  can't  endure  it — I  can't  have  you  think  I 
ever  felt  so  much  as  the  ghost  of  a  girlish  fancy  for  you  ! 
Oh,  I  never  dreamed  of  such  a  thing,  any  more  than  you 
dreamed  of  considering  me  a  grown  woman  !" 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,  Miss  Danvers,"  he  answered.  "  When 
your  father  honored  me  by  suggesting  that  such  an  alliance 
would  not  be  displeasing  to  him,  he  assured  me  that  he  had 
not  spoken  to  you — that  he  did  not  know  if  you  could 
entertain  the  idea." 

"  You  are  very  good  to  try  and  spare  me,"  she  said, 
"but  papa  told  me  everything  when  he  was  ill.  Oh,  Mr. 
Aylmer,  I  am  sure  that  for  months  and  months  before,  his 
head  was  affected  by  that  dreadful  disease  which  killed 
him  !  Oh,  it  was  that  made  him  commit  so  many  mistakes 
in  business  ;  and  he  lost  other  people's  money  as  well  as  his 
own,  and  they  thought  he  was  wicked." 

"It  is  very  probable  he  suffered  as  you  say,"  Aylmer 
replied.  "  But  indeed,  Miss  Mary,  it  is  useless  to  think  of 
those  things  !" 

"Yes,"  she  sighed,  "useless.  I  cannot  right  these 
losses.  Oh,  if  the  time  should  ever  come  !  But  I  can  set 
myself  right  !  I  do  beg  you  to  understand  !  Why,  I 
couldn't  have  dreamed  of  marrying  you,  if  you  had  been 
the  only  man  in  the  world — oh,  I  did  not  think  how  that 
sounded  !  Please,  please  don't  call  me  rude — I  like  you 
very  much — I  know  how  clever  and  good  you  are — oh,  I  am 
only  making  it  all  worse  !" 

"  Indeed  you  are  not,"  he  said,  with  a  smile — so  com- 
posed that  he  quieted  her.  "  I  am  sure  your  very  strong 
asseveration  was  not  meant  to  be  uncomplimentary.  Believe 


MART  ^8    RESOLVE.  245 

me,  I  perfectly  appreciate  your  motive  in  speaking  ;  if  you 
were  uncomfortable,  we  could  never  get  on  easy,  friend- 
ly terms — and  T  hope  you  mean  to  let  me  count  myself 
among  your  friends,  Miss  Mary." 

"  Indeed,  I  shall  be  very  proud  if  I  may  !"  she  cried  ; 
and  tears  rose  in  her  eyes,  but  they  were  signs  of  relief, 
not  trouble.  She  had  got  a  great  weight  off  her  mind. 
He  believed  her,  and  received  her  abrupt  revelation  with 
such  perfect  tact,  that  her  embarrassment  vanished. 

"  Good,  firm  friends,"  he  went  on,  "  and  ready  to  con- 
gratulate  one  another  when  each  finds  that  heart  and  love 
which  is  said  to  await  every  human  being  somewhere — 
sometime  !" 

His  smile  grew  soft  and  dreamy.  Ah,  he  had  found 
the  realization  of  his  ideal — Mary  knew  that !  She  sat 
down  on  the  sofa,  and  he  placed  himself  beside  her.  She 
looked  up  at  him  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  saying  : 

"I  am  so  glad  I  have  spoken — I  wish  I  had  done  so 
before  !  I  wanted  to  tell  my  cousin — to  tell  Violet.  But 
it  all  seemed  so  silly — it  was  so  difficult  to  explain  to  any- 
body ;  and  I  was  afraid  if  I  tried,  and  worked  myself  into 
one  of  my  excitements,  I  should  only  make  it  look  as  if  I 
had — had  cared." 

"  But  now  you  have  spoken,  and  are  at  rest,"  he  said. 
"  Believe  me,  I  never  had — could  not  have — any  thought 
of  you  derogatory  to  your  dignity  in  any  respect." 

"  Ah,  but  when  you  saw  me  behave  so  foolishly  as  I 
did  !"  cried  Mary.  "  I  acted  very  often  as  if  I  was 
frightened — sometime  I  talked  rubbish,  just  out  of  bravado  ! 
Plenty  of  men  would  have  been  stupid  enough  to  think  I 
cared.  Oh,  I  thank  you  a  thousand  times  !" 

"It  is  for  me  to  thank  you  for  your  good  opinion,"  he 
said,  with  another  kindly  smile.  "And  now  that  every- 
thing is  cleared  up,  you  will  be  quite  at  ease  with  me,  and 
begin  to  look  on  me  as  a  friend  ?" 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  And,  oh,  Mr.  Aylmer — I  know  you  lost 
money  through  papa — try  not  to  blame  him  !  You  wouldn't 
think  he  cheated  !  Why,  a  bad  man  would  have  managed 
to  save  his  own  money — and  he  lost  all  his." 

"Since  I  entered  into  speculations  voluntarily,  it  is  my- 
self that  I  must  blame,  Miss  Mary." 

lie  could  say  that,  but  he  could  say  no  more.  Danvers 
had  certainly  deceived  him  egregiously.  He  often  won- 


246  "  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE," 

dered  if,  at  the  time  the  man  sounded  the  ground  to  see 
whether  a  marriage  between  Aylmer  and  his  daughter 
might  be  possible,  lie  meant  in  that  case  to  spare  his  friend's 
fortune.  But  even  if  he  had,  he  could  not  have  done  it — 
his  mania  for  speculation  would  have  carried  him  away. 

At  this  moment  some  one  in  Mr.  Vaugbton's  studio 
knocked  for  admittance,  and  before  Mary  could  answer, 
the  door  opened,  Violet  Cameron  appeared  on  the  threshold, 
and  just  behind  her  stood  Warner. 

The  pair  seated  on  the  sofa  rose  quickly,  but  the  intrud- 
ers both  took  in  the  tableau  which  their  entrance  disturbed 
— Aylmer  bending  over  Mary,  she  looking  eagerly  up  into 
his  face  ;  beyond  the  arched  doorway  on  the  other  side  of 
the  room  good  Miss  Vaughton  tranquilly  reposing  in  her 
arm-chair,  dreaming,  doubtless,  of  far  different  things  than 
those  duties  of  chaperonage  which  Bliza  Bronson  had  en- 
deavored to  impress  upon  her  mind. 

Mary  hurried  forward,  and  Aylmer  followed  ;  for  a  few 
moments  they  all  stood  and  talked  together,  but  Violet  was 
the  only  one  of  the  four  who  seemed  at  ease — Violet,  calm, 
gracious,  smiling,  and  all  the  while  with  a  sensation  at  her 
heart  as  if  a  hand  of  ice  had  suddenly  been  laid  upon  it, 
chilling  its  pulses  with  a  mortal  coldness.  The  interview 
was  torture  to  Warner.  His  jealous  suspicions,  so  long 
combated,  so  often  thrust  aside,  surged  up  in  an  angry 
storm  which  he  feared  face  and  voice  must  betray,  and  he 
took  his  departure  so  abruptly  that  poor  Mary's  agitation 
increased,  though  she  did  not  assign  his  displeasure  to  its 
rightful  cause. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
"THE  END  OF  OUR  ROMANCE." 

EN  days  elapsed — the  most  restless  and  misera- 
ble Violet  Cameron  had  ever  endured. 

I  have  said  little  in  reference  to  her  feelings 
towards  Laurence   Aylmer  as  the  winter  went 
on,  because  it  seemed   wiser  to  set  the  record 
all  down  together  in  the  place  where  it  rightfully  belongs 


"  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE"  247 

• — the  time  when  Violet  forced  her  unwilling  soul  to  admit 
the  truth — clearly,  openly — without  pity  for  its  shame, 
without  mercy  for  her  aching  heart. 

She  loved  Laurence  Aylmer.  The  attempt  to  shelter 
the  feeling  under  the  guise  of  a  fancy  had  speedily  proved 
unavailing,  from  the  fact  that  reason  told  her  fancies  did 
not  belong  to  her  years.  Then  for  a  season  she  called  the 
sentiment  which  engrossed  her  by  the  easy  name  of  sym- 
pathy. He  was  so  superior  to  the  ordinary  men  who 
hovered  about  her,  so  much  more  elevated  in  intellect  and 
refined  in  tastes,  with  aspirations  and  ambitions  of  which 
they  were  as  incapable  as  butterflies  of  singing  like  night- 
ingales. His  enthusiasm  and  perseverance,  his  determina- 
tion to  carry  out  his  aspirations,  made  his  life  a  real  life  : 
all  these  things  had  attracted  her  towards  him,  helped  to 
forge  the  tie  between  them. 

Weak  as  her  other  pretense  had  been  !  She  loved  this 
man — loved  him  with  the  poetical  fervor  which  destiny 
had  prevented  her  youth  from  developing — loved  him  with 
the  strength  of  her  womanhood  ;  and  those  girlish  dreams 
which  had  found  no  object  whereon  to  spend  their  riches, 
•which  she  had  thought  worn  out,  lived  beyond,  rose  from 
their  quiescence,  eager,  importunate,  and  cast  their  glow 
across  the  secret  of  her  maturity. 

She  loved  him  !  Useless  to  argue,  to  say  that  she  did 
not  even  know  him  well :  heart  and  soul  gave  her  the  lie, 
smiled  triumphant  over  common-sense,  and  intrenched 
themselves  in  that  overwhelming  assertion.  And  this 
strong  love  which  had  come  to  her  out  of  season,  belated 
— like  a  flower  blooming  after  the  first  frosts  of  autumn — 
must  be  crushed,  though  she  trampled  her  heart  into  atoms 
in  order  to  effect  its  destruction. 

Since  that  certainty  of  Mary's  affection  had  forced 
itself  upon  her,  Violet  had  held  many  a  bitter,  savage  com- 
munion with  that  rebellious  heart  which  insisted  so  wildly 
upon  possessing  its  happiness.  Was  she  to  let  a  girl's 
dream — such  a  weak  thing  at  best — stand  between  her  and 
the  fullness  of  bliss  !  And  from  their  first  moment  of  meet- 
ing, this  man  had  loved  her — her — Violet  !  And  the  very 
force  with  which  her  heart  uttered  that  assurance  brought 
a  reaction.  Say  that  he  loved  her — more,  admit  that  she 
was  beautiful  enough  to  win  any  man's  love — what  then  ? 
Why  this :  her  factitious  semblance  of  youth,  already 


248  "  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE." 

unduly  prolonged,  might  fade  any  day  ;  the  least  mischance 
— a  passing  illness,  a  sudden  trouble — might  bring  the 
wrinkles  into  her  forehead,  the  gray  into  her  hair  ;  worse 
still,  might  freeze  and  kill  the  freshness  of  thought  which 
had  kept  her  soul  young,  and  that  soul,  worn  and  tired, 
reflect  its  weariness  in  her  features,  and  help  more  speedily 
to  obliterate  the  last  trace  of  beauty  which  had  brought 
men  to  her  feet. 

If  she  were  to  marry  him  and  then  the  change  should 
come,  after  just  months  enough  of  perfect  happiness  to 
render  life  unendurable  if  she  were  forced  to  accept  any 
portion  of  bliss  which  could  be  counted,  having  known  hap- 
piness in  its  immeasurable  fullness! 

Such  a  season  often  came  into  the  lives  of  women  who 
married  men  older  than  themselves,  but  under  those  cir- 
cumstances the  sufferer  could  have  the  relief  of  feeling  that 
she  and  her  husband  were  growing  elderly  together. 

But  this  love  which  beset  her — Violet  !  If  she  were  to 
marry  this  man  towards  whom  her  heart  had  gone  out,  she 
must  see  herself  age — see  the  lines  come  in  her  face,  the 
gray  into  her  hair — while  he,  as  a  man,  had  claims  to  youth 
still  ;  live  perhaps  to  hear  the  world  wonder  what  could 
have  induced  him  to  such  sacrifice — or,  worse  yet,  live  to 
know  that  he  wondered  himself.  And  if  he  were  noble 
enough  to  remain  true,  that  would  make  matters  worse  for 
him  ;  each  time  girlish  charms  attracted  his  eye  he  would 
have  to  check  the  bitter  reflection  that  if  he  had  only 
waited,  only  resisted  a  fancy,  he  might  now  in  his  prime 
have  taken  that  loveliness  to  his  breast,  have  prolonged  his 
own  youth  by  its  possession  ;  whereas,  through  his  folly,  he 
had  rendered  such  happiness  impossible.  lie  was  tied — 
bound — chained — married — to  the  worn,  wrinkled,  middle- 
aged  woman  who  face  hung  like  a  ghost  between  him  and 
the  sun  ! 

"  No,  better  to  give  him  up  of  her  own  free  will  than 
live  to  endure  such  misery;  forced  absolutely  to  pity  him, 
to  curse  her  own  idiocy,  as  perhaps  he  would  be  too  gener- 
ous to  do,  and  so,  through  sympathy  with  his  pain,  bear  his 
burden  in  addition  to  her  own.  Better  give  him  up,  teach 
him  gradually  to  content  himself  with  friendship  ;  aye,  be 
the  one  to  show  him  that  in  Mary  he  would  find  peace  and 
rest  for  both  present  and  future. 

And  now  it  seemed  that  she  had  indeed  acted  her  part 


"  THE    END     OF     OUR    ROMANCE."  249 

well  :  she  had  convinced  him  that  he  could  hope  only  for 
her  esteem.  Had  he,  without  aid  or  counsel  from  her, 
turned  for  consolation  towards  Mary  ?  Had  he  recognized, 
as  Violet  believed  she  had  done,  indisputable  signs,  unwit- 
tingly betrayed,  that  the  girl  had  crowned  him  the  hero  of 
her  dreams,  and  been  flattered  and  touched  thereby  into 
rapid  recognition  of  the  truth  that  his  fancy  for  the  elder 
cousin  was  a  delusion  ;  that  here  stood  the  realization  of 
his  ideal  '? 

It  looked  so,  Violet  thought,  as  she  recalled  that  scene 
in  the  studio.  She  went  back  over  the  events  of  the  past 
week.  Why,  since  Mary  Danvers's  arrival,  she  had  never 
once  found  it  difficult,  even  in  their  tete-d-tetes,  to  keep  the 
conversation  from  the  perilous  ground  to  which  several 
times  before  he  had  led  it  forward  !  More  and  more 
patiently  he  had  accepted  the  terms  on  which  she  had  told 
him  their  intercourse  must  remain — friendship. 

And,  during  these  last  ten  days,  Mary's  manner  to  him 
had  undergone  a  complete  change  :  she  was  never  shy  in 
his  presence  now,  never  unnaturally  gay  one  moment,  and 
moody,  sometimes  almost  abrupt,  at  another  ;  she  showed 
her  pleasure  at  his  visits,  and  frankly  took  her  share  of  his 
society.  Ah,  she  had  gone  beyond  the  region  of  doubts 
and  fears  ;  she  was  lulled  into  security  so  sweet  that  no 
reflection  came  ;  a  repose  where  she  just  floated  passively 
on.  Violet  knew  !  During  that  period  at  the  villa,  after 
his  illness,  had  it  not  been  the  same  for  a  little  while  with 
herself  ?  But  what  a  triple  fool  she  was  to  compare  her 
idyl  to  Mary's  !  Mary  a  girl,  with  a  right  to  dream — and 
she  an  elderly  woman — oh,  an  old  maid,  who  might  almost 
have  been  a  grandmother  to-day,  if  fate  had  allowed  her  to 
love  and  marry  as  early  as  most  American  girls. 

Wanted  to  cry,  did  she?  Well,  there  should  be  no 
exhibition  of  lachrymose  weakness — she  had  borne  enough 
from  her  own  folly — there  should  be  an  end  !  And  Violet 
shook  her  clenched  hand  anew  at  the  image  in  the  mirror. 
It  had  grown  her  habit  to  hold  bitter  monologues  before 
her  glass,  and  now,  on  this  tenth  night,  which  completed 
that  round  of  useless  misery,  she  had  come  home  from  a 
ball  additionally  angered  with  herself  because  aware  that 
she  had  tried  to  forget  trouble  in  the  pleasure  of  Aylmer's 
society. 

"  You  look  as  if  you  were  painted,"  she  informed  the 
11* 


250  "  TEE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE." 

image.  "  As  for  your  eyes — they  are  disgraceful  !  But 
you  are  just  as  much  a  pretense — a  ludicrous,  ridiculous 
pretense — as  old  Mrs.  Sinclair,  with  her  dyed  hair  and  her 
made-up  brows.  Keep  me  fretting  in  this  way,  and  I'll 
very  soon  show  you  yourself  as  wrinkled  and  yellow  as  she 
would  be  if  somebody  rubbed  off  the  red  and  white — you 
caricature  of  youth,  you  sort  of  original  mummy  that  has 
had  color  left  in  it  by  some  wonderful  nowaday  forgot- 
ten process  !" 

She  laughed  aloud,  but  I  think  a  burst  of  tears  would 
have  followed  that  tirade  against  the  satin-robed,  jewel- 
crowned  reflection,  had  she  not  been  roused  by  Mary's 
voice  calling  : 

"  I  hear  you  ;  may  I  come  in  ?  I  have  been  awake 
ever  so  long,  but  was  afraid  to  disturb  you  ;  since  you  are 
laughing,  let  me  come  and  laugh  too." 

In  sixty  seconds  by  the  clock,  Violet  Cameron  went 
through  every  imaginable  phase  of  emotion,  from  a  long- 
ing to  mutilate  her  own  face  till  its  mocking  beauty  should 
no  longer  torture  her  by  its  arrogant  assertion  against  the 
years,  to  an  insane  desire  to  open  the  door  suddenly,  spring 
on  the  girl  waiting  beyond  and  do  her  some  deadly  harm 
then  and  there  ! 

The  very  madness,  the  positive  imbecility  of  her  fancies, 
brought  her  back  to  reason,  as  it  does  the  rest  of  us  in 
similar  crazed  moments,  else  the  chronicle  of  crime  would 
increase  until  scores  upon  scores  of  additional  daily  sheets 
were  all  too  few  to  contain  the  list. 

"  Come  in,  you  naughty  girl,"  said  Violet,  softly  ;  and 
Mary  appeared  upon  the  threshold,  looking  like  a  nymph 
or  a  dryad  in  her  long  white  gown,  with  her  wavy  hair 
vailing  her  shoulders.  "  What  do  you  mean  by  being 
awake  at  this  hour?  I  would  scold,  only  you  look  so 
pretty  I've  not  the  heart." 

"  EIow  the  light  hurts  my  eyes  !"  cried  Mary,  holding 
up  both  hands  to  protect  them.  "  And,  oh,  how  beautiful 
you  are  !  You  must  be  like  Mary  Stuart  or  Semiramis " 

"  Or  Helen  of  Troy,  or  some  other  bad  woman  whom 
you've  no  business  to  have  heard  of,"  interrupted  Violet. 
"  I  wonder,  when  people  want  to  find  comparisons  for  me, 
why  they  always  choose  the  most  dreadful  women  in  all 
history  ?" 

She  was  thinking  of  that  night  in  the  autumn — oh,  how 


"  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE"  251 

far  off  it  appeared  ;  how  the  reflection  of  its  moonlight 
seemed  to  scorch  her  brain,  soft  as  it  had  appeared  then  ; 
how  every  sight  and  sound  repeated  itself  in  a  flash,  with 
all  its  sweetness  turned  to  pain  ! — that  night  on  the  terrace 
of  the  Magnoletti  villa,  when  she  had  laughed  at  Aylrner's 
unfortunate  comparisons — laughed  without  any  bitterness  ; 
sore  and  angry  as  the  recollection  made  her  now. 

"  I  don't  believe  they  were  bad,"  cried  Mary  ;  "  other 
women  invented  the  stories  out  of  jealousy  !  Oh.  the  light 
and  the  dazzle  of  your  diamonds — and  you  still  moi'e — 
quite  blind  me  !" 

"  Go  back  into  your  room,  and  I'll  come  as  soon  as  I 
have  got  out  of  this  impossible  gown  ;  oh  dear,  I  can't  un- 
fasten it,  and  Clarice  has  gone  to  bed." 

"  See  what  a  famous  waiting-maid  I  make,"  said  Mary  ; 
"  only  come  into  my  chamber — I  can't  bear  this  light.  I 
will  take  in  a  dressing-gown — here  is  one  !  What  pretty 
robes-de-chambre  you  always  have — don't  say  I'm  not  be- 
ginning to  talk  French — only  it  must  be  sinful  to  spend  so 
much  money  on  a  thing  just  to  wrap  round  one  !" 

"  Bless  me,  mouse,  whatever  is  the  matter  with  you  ?" 
asked  Violet.  "  You  are  usually  the  most  demure  of  mice, 
and  here  you  are  chattering  as  fast  as  a  monkey." 

"  1  don't  know  why,"  said  Mary  ;  "  I  was  gloomy 
enough  a  little  while  ago,  though  I  couldn't  have  given  any 
reason  for  that  mood.  I  can  for  my  present  elated  one — it 
is  you  and  your  beauty." 

By  this  time  they  were  in  Mary's  room,  and  Violet 
seated  in  a  low  chair  near  the  window,  while  her  cousin 
unlaced  her  dress. 

"  Do  you  never  feel  sad  ?"  continued  Mary.  "  I  have 
often  thought  your  high  spirits  must  just  be  for  society, 
but  when  I  heard  you  laughing  so  heartily  in  there  all  by 
yourself,  I  knew  I  had  been  mistaken.  To  be  sure,  you 
may  well  laugh — you  have  everything  in  the  world." 

"  Don't  envy  me  my  'everything'  too  much,"  replied 
Violet,  recollecting  what  had  caused  her  laughter. 

"Envy  you — no — I  hope  I  am  not  capable  of  that! 
Though,  after  all,  I  don't  know  !  I  am  forever  finding  out 
I  am  so  much  more  wicked  than  I  dreamed  possible,"  sighed 
Mary. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  is  what  very  often  happens  to  most 
of  us,"  returned  Violet,  recalling  the  insane  impulses  which 


252  "  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE." 

had  flitted  through  her  mind  when  Mary's  sweet  young 
voice  roused  her  from  her  bitter  reverie. 

Mary  sighed  again  so  dolefully  that  Violet,  remember- 
ing how  at  her  age  one  is  given  to  exaggerate  any  wrong 
thought  till  in  one's  penitence  it  almost  assumes  the  propor- 
tions of  a  crime,  added  : 

"Don't  groan  as  if  you  had  a  mttrder  on  your  soul,  my 
dear  !  Bad  thoughts  may  corne  without  any  fault  of  ours 
— all  we  have  to  do  is  not  to  act  upon  them.  I  remember 
reading  a  saying  of  an  eccentric  Wesleyan  preacher  who 
lived  early  in  the  century  in  America — Lorenzo  Dow — that 
I  have  always  considered  very  expressive  :  '  We  can't  hin- 
der the  birds  flying  over  our  heads,  but  we  can  keep  them 
from  building  nests  in  our  hair.'  " 

"  Oh,  I  must  recollect  that — it  is  excellent,"  suid  Mary. 

"  Is  it  not  ?  Fancy,  I  repeated  it  once  to  my  dear  old 
Miss  Bronson,  and  she  begged  me  never  to  quote  it  again, 
for  it  sounded  really  vulgar." 

"  I  suppose  if  a  bishop  had  made  the  remark  she  would 
have  called  it  sublime,"  said  Mary. 

"  You  have  hit  the  truth  exactly,"  returned  Violet. 
"  Really,  mouse,  you  are  such  a  quiet  little  thing  that  you 
often  quite  startle  me  by  the  way  you  read  people's  char- 
acters." 

"I  didn't  know  I  could,"  said  Mary.  "Any  way,  you 
needn't  be  afraid  of  having  yours  read." 

"  I  wish  somebody  could  make  me  understand  it,"  re- 
plied Violet.  "  I  don't  suppose  it  amounts  to  much,  but  it 
puzzles  me  more  every  day  I  live.  Dear  me,  small  one,  it 
is  a  great  comfort  to  talk  to  you.  One  doesn't  have  to  dot 
every  i  and  cross  every  t — you  comprehend  at  half  a  word." 

"  I'm  so  glad  you  like  me  !"  exclaimed  Mary,  sitting 
down  on  a  footstool  at  Violet's  feet,  and  leaning  her  head 
against  her  cousin's  knee.  The  shutters  were  open  ;  the 
moon  cast  a  soft  radiance  through  the  chamber — heightened 
Violet's  beauty  into  a  mysterious  splendor  and  turned 
Mary's  thick-falling  hair  to  dusky  gold. 

"  You  look  like  a  Sibyl !"  cried  the  girl,  gazing  up  at 
her  cousin  with  the  admiration  it  is  so  pretty  to  see  one 
woman  bestow  upon  another. 

"  And  I  think  I  must  have  you  painted  as  Una,"  returned 
Violet,  gayly.  "  And  now  that  we  have  finished  our  mutual 
compliments,  tell  me  what  was  the  reason  you  lay  awake 


"  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE."  253 

into  the  small  hours,  instead  of  being  fast  asleep  like  a  sage 
damsel  ?" 

"  No  reason,  unless  because  I  was  goose  enough  to  drink 
tea  after  dinner — that  always  keeps  me  awake." 

"  Oh,  you  practical  little  wretch  !"  cried  Violet.  "  I 
thought  the  moonlight  would  inspire  you  with  some  poetical 
confession." 

"  I  haven't  any  to  make — girls  ought  not  to  have,"  said 
Mary,  with  a  dash  after  the  primness  wherewith  she  had  a 
habit  of  hedging  herself  in. 

"  Oh,  my  dear,  if  one  did  only  what  one  ought !"  replied 
Violet.  "  Well,  at  least  tell  me  what  you  were  thinking 
about." 

It  might  be  a  long  while  before  another  opportunity  to 
get  at  her  young  relative's  thoughts  and  feelings  would 
offer  so  favorable  as  this.  Violet  wanted  to  do  it — not  to 
force  the  girl  into  any  avowals  which  later  she  might  regret, 
but  to  crush  her  own  folly  with  proofs  uncontrovertible  ; 
and  the  very  fact  that  something  within  her  shrank  from 
the  work  rendered  Violet  the  more  determined. 

"  Thinking  ?  All  sorts  of  things,  or  dreaming  rather,  I 
suppose,"  said  Mary.  Then  she  was  silent  for  a  little. 
Suddenly  she  moved  her  head  impatiently  to  and  fro  on 
Violet's  knee,  and  continued,  in  a  slow,  reflective  tone, 
oddly  at  variance  with  her  restless  movement  :  "  It  is  very 
difficult  to  be  a  girl." 

"  My  dear,  it  strikes  me  it  would  be  more  difficult  to  be 
anything  else  when  Nature  had  arranged  the  matter,"  re- 
turned Violet,  laughing  outright. 

"  Oh,  you  know  what  I  meant  !  I  never  can  get  my 
thoughts  to  express  themselves  correctly,"  said  Mary,  drum- 
ming on  Violet's  knee  with  the  fingers  of  her  right  hand. 

"  Now,  what  is  one  of  the  things,  for  instance,  that  you 
find  so  difficult,  mouse  ?"  asked  Violet. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know  that  I  could  put  any  of  them 
straight,  and  if  I  did,  I  suppose  they  would  sound  dread- 
fully silly,"  said  Mary ;  and  now  she  beat  Violet's  knee 
with  her  little  clenched  fist. 

"  But  we  agreed  long  ago  that  we  would  say  as  many 
foolish  things  to  each  other  as  we  pleased,  just  as  a  relief 
from  having  always  to  talk  wisely  and  decorously  before 
Eliza,"  urged  Violet. 


254  "  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE" 

"I'm  sure  she  is  very  good  and  kind,  but  oh,  how 
awfully  stilted  and  impossible  !"  cried  Mary. 

"  She  was  everything  to  me  when  I  sorely  needed  a 
friend,"  said  Violet.  "I  am  attached  even  to  her  pecu- 
liarities. I  would  not  change  her  any  more  than  one  would 
change  an  old-fashioned  grandmother.  Bless  me !  it  is 
lucky  she  does  not  hear  my  comparison  !" 

"  I  arn  sure  she  never  even  thinks  in  words  of  less  than 
ten  syllables." 

"  Dreams  in  hexameters,  I  am  certain,"  said  Violet. 
"  But  now  about  your  nonsensical  thoughts,  puss,  and  the 
difficulties  you  find  in  being  a  girl — though  I  don't  know 
how  we  are  to  remedy  that  misfortune." 

"Don't  make  me  laugh,  else  I'll  not  tell  you.  But  I 
don't  believe  I  can,  even  if  I  try." 

"Just  pour  out  the  fancies  pell-mell  ;  perhaps  I  can  find 
the  heads  and  tails — oh  !  shade  of  Eliza,  forgive  me  ! — 
caput  and  caudal  extremities,"  said  Violet  ;  and  then  felt 
vexed  with  her  own  weakness  for  keeping  aloof  from  the 
truth,  of  which  she  wanted  to  be  convinced  beyond  the  pos- 
sibility of  doubt.  The  hour  of  conviction  had  arrived — 
something  told  her  this — a  conviction  which  must  aid  her 
to  carry  out  unflinchingly  the  stern  resolves  which  she 
knew  were  the  only  sensible  ones  in  her  case — must  make 
an  additional  reason,  in  fact,  for  her  to  put  by,  cast  out, 
trample  down,  the  foolish  dreams  of  the  past  week,  since 
their  indulgence  would  not  only  render  her  own  future 
doubly  desolate  when  reality  came,  as  come  it  must,  but 
would  blight  the  heart  and  happiness  of  this  girl,  who  had 
youth  and  early  womanhood  in  her  reach — all  the  dearly- 
prized  gifts  which  Violet  had  lost — lost,  too,  without  ever 
having  had  the  opportunity  to  enjoy  in  their  fullness. 

"  Come,  now  !"  she  persisted.  "  About  this  hardship  of 
being  a  girl !  Well,  girls  are  '  cribbed,  cabined,  and  con- 
fined ' — there  is  no  doubt  of  that." 

"Just  it,"  said  Mary,  in  that  slow,  introspective,  think- 
ing-aloud  tone.  "Why,  everything  is  improper,  even  to 
wonder  about — yet  it  seems  so  natural.  How  is  one  to 
help  it,  though  one  is  a  girl  ?  Now  men  are  not  troubled 
in  that  way  !  They  may  be  fond  of — I  mean  they  may  like 
a  person,  and  tell  themselves  so  at  the  first  glance — and  we 
only  call  that  manly — but  girls  !" 


"  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE"  255 

"Yes,  girls?"  returned  Violet,  in  an  insinuatingly  in- 
quiring voice,  as  Mary  paused. 

"You  know  I  don't  mean  me,"  Mary  hastened  to  add, 
explicit  if  not  elegant.  "I  don't  know  what  set  me  think- 
ing about  it  all — some  book  I've  been  reading,  perhaps." 

"  I  dare  say — some  book — well  ?" 

"And  a  girl  mustn't  think  about  liking  a  man,  no  mat- 
ter how  much  attention  he  may  have  shown  her,  until  he 
tells  her  outright  that — that  he  loves  her.  Oh,  now  I  know 
what  set  me  off  in  such  a  silly  way  !"  cried  Mary,  in  atone 
of  relief.  "  It  was  Eliza  Bronson.  She  said,  d  propos  to 
some  novel,  that  no  young  lady  with  a  well-regulated  mind 
would  permit  herself  to  think  of  a  man  until  she  was  be- 
trothed to  him  ;  and  as  for  loving  him,  well,  that  she 
seemed  to  consider  would  be  indelicate  until  they  were 
safely  married — she  did,  upon  my  word  !" 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  replied  Violet ;  "but  you  and 
I  may  have  our  private  opinions,  and  express  thenf  to  each 
other,  even  if  we  refrain  from  shocking  the  good  Eliza  by 
promulgating  the  same.  I  am  sure  that  phrase  is  fine 
enough  to  content  even  her  !" 

Still  with  the  same  effort  to  keep  the  conversation  upon 
that  footing  of  half-jest — but  now  not  from  any  shrinking 
to  hear  the  truth  which  she  must  arrive  at — only  to  prevent 
Mary's  suspecting  the  force  of  her  own  disclosures,  and  so 
suddenly  shutting  her  heart  over  her  secret,  like  a  sensitive 
plant  closing  at  the  breath  of  a  breeze  which  stirs  its  leaves 
too  roughly. 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  fair  !"  ejaculated  Mary,  still  pursu- 
ing the  train  of  her  reflections.  "  And  yet  a  girl  does  feel 
ashamed  if  she  finds  herself  thinking  that  a  man  likes  her, 
though  he  may  have  shown  it  so  plainly  she  could  not  help 
knowing." 

"I  see  no  reason  whatever  for  shame,"  rejoined  Violet, 
as  her  cousin's  speech  faltered,  and  found  no  conclusion. 
"Not  the  slightest  !  No  shame  either,  in  admitting  frank- 
ly to  her  own  soul  that  she  likes  him  in  return  !  Come, 
you  see  how  bold  I  am  ;  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  shock- 
ing me  by  any  such  thoughts — I  should  say  theories,"  she 
added,  and  Mary's  quick  response  proved  that  her  substitu- 
tion of  the  latter  word  had  been  a  comfort. 

"  Yes,  theories — that  expi-esses  it  !  I  suppose  one 
ought  not  to  read  so  many  novels — Miss  Bronson  says  so  !" 


256  "  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE." 

"  Of  course  !  But  though  she  keeps  '  Sismondi,'  or 
some  other  tiresomely  wise  book,  open  on  her  table,  I  have 
discovered  that  she  generally  has  a  romance  hidden  in  the 
drawer.  Our  pattern  Eliza  is  as  artful  in  her  way  as  the 
rest  of  us  !  Mouse,  don't  be  troubled — read  your  novels, 
and  indulge  in  your  thoughts " 

"  Theories,"  amended  Mary. 

"Exactly — theories!  Where  were  we  in  our  discus- 
sion? As  usual,  when  women  try  to  theorize,  we  grow  so 
discursive  that  we  lose  the  thread  of  our  sermon  every 
other  minute  !" 

"  I  haven't  lost  it,"  said  Mary,  eagerly,  quite  at  ease 
now,  and  finding  great  relief  in  putting  forth  her  thoughts, 
since  Violet  had  found  such  a  convenient,  generalizing  term 
under  which  to  class  them.  "  I  think  the  sort  of  girl  who 
fancies,  every  time  any  man  pays  her  a  compliment — and 
men  are  so  absurd  about  that — it  vexes  me — do  they  sup- 
pose we\re  all  idiots  ?" 

"  Most  human  beings  are,  mouse  ;  but  in  your  energy 
you  let  your  sentence  evaporate  in  a  parenthesis  !" 

"Yes — pays  her  a  compliment — I  know  where  I  was  ! 
Well,  plenty  of  girls  think  the  man  must  be  in  love.  Now, 
that  is  downright  silly.  I've  no  patience  with  such  non- 
sense !" 

"  Nor  I  !  But  we  are  talking  of  sensible  girls — girls  so 
certain  of  their  own  desire  to  do  and  be  right,  that  they  are 
not  afraid  to  probe  their  hearts  away  down  to  the  bottom. 
Now,  when  such  a  girl  has  reason  to  believe  a  man  loves 
her,  she  is  neither  indelicate  nor  foolish  in  considering  the 
matter  and  asking  herself  point-blank  if  it  is  true  that 
she -" 

"  Likes  him,"  put  in  Mary,  hastening  away  from  the 
dangerous  word  Violet  had  ruthlessly  employed. 

"  But  the  type  of  girl  we  are  talking  of  wouldn't  reach 
that  point  unless  the  man  had  given  her  good  reason." 

"  Just  so  !  And  if  he  stops  there — doesn't  say  outright 

what  his  looks  and Oh,  you  know  what  I  want  to 

say  !" 

"  Of  course  I  do  !  I  am  always  meaning  to  write  a 
novel  which  shall  turn  on  that  very  position.  I  am  always 
meaning  to  do  so  many  things  that  I  never  accomplish  !" 

"  Oh,  and  you  could  write  such  a  beautiful  one.    I  never 


"  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE"  257 

beard  anybody  talk  like  you.  I  am  sure  you're  a  genius, 
Violet,1' ' 

"  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  the  fact,  mouse  ! 
Well,  I  am  making  a  chapter  of  my  novel  now.  Let  me  see 
if  your  theories  can't  help  me  thoroughly  to  understand  my 
heroine.  She  always  gets  so  complex  that  she  puzzles  me 
hopelessly,  else  I  should  long  ago  have  presented  her  to  the 
world  in  three  volumes." 

"  Very  well  !  Put  it  that  she  has  reason  to  believe  the 
man  likes  her — so  much  reason  that  she  knows  she  has  a 
right  to  believe  so,  though  she  does  reproach  herself  for 
thinking  it,  because  he  has  never  said  it  out  in  so  many 
words." 

"  Never  revealed  his  passion,  you  mean  ;  don't  be  so 

prosaic  when  you  are  helping  to  compose  a  novel,  mouse  ! 

Surely  there  is  no  shame  to  her  for  thinking — for  knowing?" 

"  Oh,  but  if  she  began  to  think  that  after  all  she  had 

made  a  mistake  ;  if  he  did  not  speak — if " 

"  I  won't  contemplate  that  possibility  for  my  heroine," 
interrupted  Violet.  "In  her  case,  the  hero  is  a  true,  honest, 
earnest  man  ;  he  would  be  incapable  of  the  meanness  of 
trifling.  He  might  wait — circumstances  might  force  him. 
Dear  me,  if  she  were  very  young,  he  might  doubt  if  she 
could  know  her  own  heart  yet  !  Why,  he  might  half  try 

to  fancy  an  older  woman  for  a  little "     She  was  going 

too  far;  she  stopped;  added  quickly:  "No,  not  that  for 
our  hero,  though  even  heroes  have  their  weaknesses,  else 
they  would  not  be  men.  But  the  sort  of  man  we  are  de- 
scribing  " 

"  Imagining,"  suggested  Mary,  softly.  "What  does  he 
do,  Violet  ?" 

"  He  waits — to  be  certain,  both  for  himself  and  her  ; 
then  some  day  he  comes  to  our  little  heroine  and  tells  the 
whole  story,"  said  Violet,  and  her  voice  was  like  the  echo 
of  sweet  music. 

"  To  be  certain  of  himself  !  Then  he  might  go  !"  cried 
Mary,  indignantly.  "I  would  never  listen  if  he  had  to 
wait  to  be  sure  ;  I  mean  our  heroine  shan't,  in  the  novel ! 
Why,  she  would  despise  him  and  be  ashamed  of  herself." 

"  Well,  well  !  There  might  be  other  reasons — plenty  ! 
He  might  not  be  sure  of  her  feelings — afraid  to  startle  her, 
not  just  in  a  position  to  marry  at  once." 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  might  be,"  said  Mary,  with  a  sudden 


258  "  THE    END     OF    OUR    ROMANCE." 

reflection  of  contentment  in  her  voice.  "  It  would  account 
for  any  little  odd  changes  in  his  manner  that  had  seemed 
like  caprice  sometimes  !" 

"  And  he  could  not  be  capricious,  of  course  !  No,  no  ; 
the  fitting  moment  arrives  at  last,  when  everything  is  made 
clear,  and  the  dream  becomes  a  blessed  reality." 

"  Reality,"  echoed  Mary,  then  became  silent  for  a  time. 

And  Violet  knew  the  truth  ;  there  remained  no  possi- 
bility for  her  foolish  heai't  to  cheat  her  reason  by  declaring 
those  intuitions  which  days  and  days  before  had  warned 
her,  to  be  mere  suspicious  fancies — the  coinage  of  her  own 
restless  brain.  She  had  been  determined  to  reach  such 
absolute  confirmation  that  her  weakness  could  no  longer 
plead  the  lack  of  proof — she  had  gained  it  now  ! 

Somehow  the  very  sound  of  content  in  the  girl's  tones, 
revealing  the  comfort  she  had  derived  from  her  cousin's 
words,  which  showed  her  that  her  sensation  of  maidenly 
shame  was  uncalled  for,  roused  Violet  to  a  positive  frenzy 
of  bitterness. 

Why  should  she  sacrifice  herself  to  this  child — this 
baby  ?  Why  should  she  not  snatch  the  happiness  within 
her  reach,  enjoy.it  to  the  full  ?  At  least  when  it  faded  she 
could  die  ! 

Yet  all  the  while,  as  she  looked  covertly  down  into  the 
sweet,  pure  face  which,  unconscious  of  her  scrutiny,  had 
turned  towards  the  window,  and  was  gazing  out  at  the 
white,  resplendent  moon,  it  seemed  to  Violet  that  she  was 
watching,  not  Mary,  but  the  phantom  of  her  own  youth, 
pleading  mutely  with  her  for  its  happiness. 

And  Mary,  rousing  herself  from  her  dreams,  looked  up, 
still  letting  her  head,  with  its  long  vail  of  moonlight-tinted 
hair,  rest  upon  her  cousin's  knee. 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  tired,  and  I  have  been  keeping  you 
awake  to  listen  to  my  absurd  fancies — theories,  I  mean," 
said  Mary.  "  Why,  how  pale  you  are — you  are  not  ill  ?" 

"Only  cold,"  shivered  Violet  ;  "so  cold — away  down 
into  my  very  soul  !" 

Mary  brought  a  shawl,  folded  it  carefully  about  her, 
and  kissed  her  forehead  with  an  affectionate  freedom. 

Violet  submitted  to  the  caress,  frightened  by  her  own 
wicked  thoughts  ;  ashamed  too,  which  was  worse. 

"  Kiss  me  again  !"  she  said  suddenly. 

"  Why,  you  are  shivering  yet !"  cried  Mary.    "  You  are 


AGAINST     FATE.  259 

tired  out  !  Come  and  lie  down  on  my  bed.  I  shall  be 
worried  if  you  shut  yourself  up  in  your  room." 

They  lay  down  and  both  slept  till  the  moon  hung  low 
on  th'e  horizon,  half  hidden,  so  that  she  was  a  mere  blade 
of  light  ;  then  they  woke  at  the  same  instant,  and  Violet's 
first  thought,  as  she  felt  the  soft  pressure  of  her  cousin's 
arms,  was  one  of  gratitude  that  her  wicked  thoughts  had 
fled. 

"  What  were  you  dreaming  ?"  Mary  whispered. 

"  The  end  of  our  romance,"  Violet  replied,  "  and  the 
heroine  was  very  happy  at  the  last.  Go  you  to  sleep, 
childie  !" 

And  both  slept  again. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

AGAINST   FATE. 

HE  next  day  came — her  day  for  remaining  at 
home  and  receiving  a  host  of  tiresome  visits, 
Violet  remembered,  and  felt  inclined  to  shut 
her  doors  against  the  whole  would,  to  shut  her 
windows  against  the  sun,  and  sit  down  in  a 
gloom  in  keeping  with  the  darkness  which  had  fallen  upon 
her  soul. 

But  this  feeling  was  worse  than  folly,  as  contemptible 
as  that  which  caused  her  to  shrink  this  morning  from 
Mary's  kiss  when  she  entered  before  departing  to  her 
work.  She  would  not  sit  there  idle,  making  present  and 
future  more  unsupportable  by  listening  to  the  misanthropic 
complaints  of  her  heart,  since  it  must  be  admitted  it  was 
her  heart  that  ached — ached  so  bitterly.  She  had  no  time 
to  waste  in  regrets  and  repinings — youth  might  afford  to 
do  that  when  trouble  came  ;  but  at  her  age  it  was  necessary 
to  be  up  and  doing,  trying  to  make  amends  for  neglected 
opportunities,  misspent  hours,  before  the  night  came,  in 
which  no  man  can  work.  But  what  was  she  to  do  by  way 
of  being  useful  ?  She  could  give  money — she  had  always 
done  that  liberally  since  she  had  the  power.  Tend  the 


260  AGAINST     FATE. 

sick,  visit  the  poor — common  seuse  told  her  that  a  paid 
nurse  could  perform  the  first  duty  much  better,  and  obser- 
vation had  shown  her  that  the  poor  decidedly  object  to 
such  inspection  from  the  rich,  and  gird  under  advice  as 
sorely  as  their  finer  neighbors. 

Read,  study,  paint,  practice  her  music  ?  All  very  well ; 
but  tljo.se  pursuits  could  no  more  fill  up  life  than  indulging 
in  a  spinster's  legitimate  outlets  for  affection — dogs  and 
cockatoos — rcould  bring  contentment.  All  her  attempts  at 
usefulness,  at  occupation,  would  be  just  as  many  rnake- 
believes  :  therefore  why  essay  to  deceive  herself  into  hop- 
ing she  could  find  peace  through  these  means?  She  was  a 
poor,  weak,  silly  thing  :  her  romance,  her  maudlin  poetry, 
as  much  out  of  keeping  with  the  mental  state  befitting  her 
years  as  the  physical  appearance  of  youth,  which  even  this 
morning  looked  at  her  from  the  glass,  untouched  by  sleep- 
lessness and  trouble,  as  if  it  were  quite  independent  of  the 
mind  it  held  in  its  keeping.  Ah,  there  was  Miss  Bronson 
knocking  at  the  door — Miss  Bronson,  commonplace  as  a 
type  of  existence  itself.  So  much  the  better  :  the  com- 
panionship might  be  of  service  in  controlling  her  ridicu- 
lous mood,  and  she  would  keep  to  it.  Go  out  with  Eliza, 
shop  a  little,  visit  the  charity-school  a  little,  talk  gossip  and 
religion  a  little,  cheapen  a  parrot,  discuss  the  merits  of 
foulards  and  friends  in  the  same  breath — go  decorously 
through  the  decorous  round  of  employments  natural  and 
fitting  to  old  maids  like  herself  and  Eliza. 

She  carried  her  mocking  resolve  into  effect,  then  came 
back  to  a  tete-d-tete  breakfast  with  her  friend,  for  Mary 
took  that  meal  with  the  Vaughtons  in  order  to  save  time, 
and  Eliza  waxed  jubilant  over  their  delightful  morning — 
they  had  done  so  much  !  it  was  so  pleasant  to  be  together  ! 
—and  her  listener  reflected  that  she  might  accept  this 
morning  as  a  type  of  her  future.  Oh,  the  years  !  the 
years  ! 

Finding  herself  moaning  anew,  Violet  devised  a  new 
punishment — she  sat  down  at  the  pianoforte  and  practiced 
German  duets  with  Miss  Bronson  ;  and  of  all  created 
sounds,  those  were  what^he  loathed  the  most  !  Altogether, 
when  the  hour  arrived  for  visitors  to  begin  their  intrusion, 
Violet  could  feel  thai  she  had  inflicted  about  as  severe  a 
season  of  pin-and-ueedle  torture  upon  her  troublesome 


AGAINST     FATE.  261 

heart  and  imagination  as  could  have  been  devised,  or  even 
their  weakness  merited. 

People  came  and  went  in  constant  succession,  drank 
chocolate,  talked  nothings,  grinned  and  grimaced,  and  Vio- 
let decided  that  she  grinned  and  grimaced  and  uttered 
platitudes  as  well  as  anybody.  She  joined  in  the  excite- 
ment over  the  news  that  Cica,  the  new  ballerina,  was  ex- 
pected, disputing  vehemently  whether  the  sylph  could  really 
stand  poised  forty  seconds  on  the  great  toe  of  her  left  foot 
or  only  thirty  five  ;  went  into  the  depths  of  despair  because, 
after  all,  the  municipality  would  give  no  subvention  to  the 
Pergola.  Oh,  she  had  proved  herself  as  accomplished  a 
butterfly  with  the  soul  of  a  grub  as  any  of  her  neighbors, 
and  could  be  content. 

Then,  into  the  midst  of  the  chocolate  drinking,  and  the 
scandahnongering,  and  the  flirtations,  and  the  vapidity, 
floated  Nina  Magnoletti,  and  in  her  wake  came  Laurence 
Aylmer,  and  the  touch  of  his  hand  and  the  glance  of  his 
eyes  sent  a  thrill  through  Violet  which  shook  her  out  of  her 
elaborately-studied  inanity,  and  caused  her  such  bitter 
wrath  that  for  an  instant  she  was  almost  ready  to  visit  it  on 
him  by  chilling  words  or  covert  slights. 

Was  she  mad  ?  Did  she  want  to  publish  her  secret,  her 
shame,  not  only  for  his  reading  but  for  the  delectation  of 
her  fellow-grubs  with  butterfly  wings?  Who  was  he? 
Why,  the  friend  that  had  saved  her  life — her  friend  Lau- 
rence, to  be  received  as  he  always  had  been,  frankly,  cor- 
dially !  He  might  amuse  himself  with  insects,  but  he  was 
neither  butterfly  nor  grub — he  was  a  man,  with  aspirations, 
resolutions,  a  career  ;  certain  of  a  man's  weaknesses  clinging 
to  him,  no  doubt — he  would  be  superhuman  else — but  at 
least  among  the  best  specimens  of  his  kind  ;  and  she  was 
glad  to  see  him,  very  glad — her  friend  Laurence  ! 

He,  like  everybody  else,  remarked  upon  her  high  spirits 
and  marveled  at  her  heightened  beauty.  The  women  de- 
cided that  Miss  Cameron  had  taken  to  rouge  at  last,  and 
both  men  and  women  decided  in  addition  that  the  whispers 
in  the  air  must  be  true  :  she  had  chosen  a  lover — Carlo 
Magnoletti,  of  course — and  her  sisterly  cordiality  with  Ayl- 
mer and  her  affectionate  demonstrations  to  Nina  were  cor- 
rect religious  tributes  to  the  goddess  of  appearances,  so 
well  paid  that  nothing  was  left  to  be  desired.  A  woman 
who  sacrificed  so  strictly  at  the  great  deity's  shrine  might 


262  AGAINST     FATE. 

have  twenty  lovers  among  her  lady  friends'  husbands  behind 
the  altar  if  she  saw  fit ;  as  long  as  she  behaved  as  she  did 
now,  -her  fellow-worshipers  need  see  only  the  clouds  of 
perfume  rising  from  the  censer  which  she  swung  so  grace- 
fully before  their  eyes. 

Nina  and  Aylmer  appeared  late,  and  gradually  the  other 
visitors  departed,  and  they  were  left  alone  with  Miss 
Cameron.  Then  the  professor  was  announced,  and  the 
three  exclaimed  in  wonder,  for  receptions  were  his  aver- 
sion. 

"  I  concluded  your  menagerie  would  have  dispersed  by 
this  time,"  he  said  ;  "  and  I  knew  I  should  be  busy  to- 
morrow." 

"  You  might  have  come  the  day  after,"  said  Aylmer, 
with  laughing  impertinence. 

"  There's  a  simpleton  in  this  room,"  cried  the  professor, 
frowning  affectionately  at  him.  "It  is  not  old  Schmidt, 
and  all  simpletons  are  males " 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself  to  repeat  such  well-known 
facts  in  natural  history,"  broke  in  Violet.  "How  nice  of 
you  to  give  me  the  surprise  of  a  visit  to-day  !  I  have  not 
seen  you  for  an  age.  What  have  you  been  doing?" 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I'm  going  to  do,"  returned  the  pro- 
fessor ;  "  leave  your  and  the  marchesa's  perfections  and 
Laurence  Aylmer's  sins  behind  me  for  a  week  or  ten 
days." 

"  What  a  shame  !"  pronounced  Violet.  "  And  where 
and  why  are  you  rushing  off  in  this  barbarous  fashion  ?" 

"  As  for  the  where,  to  Venice  and  Trieste,"  replied  he  ; 
"  as  for  the  why,  a  company  wants  to  buy  some  land  I  own 
in  Austria.  These  are  matters  which  must  be  regulated 
personally  between  me  and  their  president.  I  won't  jour- 
ney all  the  way  to  Vienna,  and,  as  he  is  ailing,  I  can't 
make  my  old  friend  come  here  ;  so  we  compromise  on  Tri- 
este. I  wish  you  were  going." 

"  I  wish  you  owned  no  land,  and  I  wish,  since  you  do, 
it  was  so  worthless  nobody  would  buy  it,"  cried  Violet. 

"  There's  friendship  for  you  !"  laughed  the  professor — 
the  very  word  sounded  cold  as  ice  to  Violet.  "Laurence,  I 
shan't  ask  you  to  go  with  me." 

"  I  shouldn't  if  you  did,"  said  Aylmer ;  and  he  was  in- 
dulging in  a  private  reflection  as  it  chanced,  roused  by  that 
word  the  professor  had  employed.  There  might  easily  be 


AGAINST     FATE.  263 

such  a  thing  as  carrying  a  good  resolution  too  far.  Friend- 
ship !  His  forbearance  was  exhausted  ;  he  could  continue 
this  pretense  no  longer  !  Before  the  professor's  return  he 
would  tell  his  story — try  as  Violet  might,  she  should  not 
avoid  the  hearing  ;  and  she  must  care  a  little — she  could 
not  banish  him  without  a  hope  !  Oh,  how  beautiful  she 
looked  to-day  !  somewhat  tired  now,  perhaps,  but,  if  possi- 
ble, all  the  more  lovely  ;  only  so  cairn,  so  composed — that 
irked  him. 

And  Nina  was  upbraiding  the  professor. 

"  At  least  you  might  have  begged  me  to  run  away  with 
you.  I  have  always  wanted  to  :  ask  Carlo.  You  have  no 
eyes  or  ears  except  for  Violet,  and  I  hate  her  !" 

"  You  are  so  close  in  rny  heart  that  I  see  and  hear  you 
whenever  it  beats.  Don't  say  I  can't  talk  poetry  !"  cried 
the  professor. 

"Nina,"  said  Violet,  "can't  you  and  Carlo  dine  with 
me  to-morrow  night?" 

"  I  can,"  Nina  answered  ;  "  I  may  as  well  admit  now 
that  I  had  already  made  up  my  mind  to  do  so.  Carlo  is 
going  off  to  some  horrid  dinner  where  only  his  own  species 
is  invited." 

"Are  you  one  of  the  unfortunates,  Mr.  Aylmer  ?"  Vio- 
let inquired. 

"No  ;  it  is  some  half-political  affair." 

"  Then,  as  I  intend  to  make  the  professor  dine  here, 
whether  he  will  or  not,  please  come  too.  I  will  ask,  let  me 
see — whom  shall  I  ask  ?  We  shall  be  four  ladies — ah,  Gil- 
bert Warner.  Nina,  I  can't  have  any  of  your  Italian 
adorers.  Now  it  is  agreed,  so  let  nobody  forget.  Here 
comes  Miss  Bronson  !  Eliza,  prepare  your  pocket-hand- 
kerchief— the  professor  is  going  away  for  a  week." 

And  then,  to  prove  that  it  is  natural  for  human  beings 
to  persecute  defenseless  animals,  they  began  to  tease  the 
spinster,  and  the  professor  went  on  his  knees  and  quoted 
vc-rses,  and  the  whole  group  talked  a  great  deal  of  non- 
sense, as  even  sages  must  and  will. 

The  trio  dt-parted  ;  Violet  dressed,  and  went  out  to 
dine,  then  to  the  last  act  of  the  opera,  then  to  some  festive 
gathering,  where,  out  of  compliment  to  Lent,  even  the  re- 
lief of  dancing  was  omitted  ;  then  home  and  to  bed  among 
the  small  hours,  but  not  to  sleep,  tired  as  she  was — over- 
tired, she  told  herself — nothing  else  ailed  her.  She  was 


264  AGAINST     FATE. 

not  fretting — not  moaning  ;  she  just  felt  cold  and  lethar- 
gic, and  inexpressibly  weary. 

The  next  morning  Mary  received  directions,  when  she 
went  to  the  studio,  to  give  Violet's  invitation  to  Gilbert 
Warner,  and  make  sure  that  he  would  come,  previously  en- 
gaged or  not.  So  Mary  had  to  send  one  of  the  workmen 
to  ask  Warner  to  come  in  to  her  atelier — half  glad  to  have 
so  good  an  excuse — half  ashamed  to  request  a  visit  on  any 
grounds,  for  during  these  last  days  Warner's  abrupt 
changes  of  manner  (the  more  noticeable  in  a  person  of  his 
even  temperament)  had  troubled  the  girl  exceedingly.  He 
came  at  once,  but  just  to  show  that  her  message  had  caused 
him  no  perturbation,  he  carried  his  palette  on  his  thumb, 
and  his  mahl-stick  in  his  hand,  and  Mary's  evil  genius 
prompted  her  to  regard  this  as  a  method  of  hinting  that 
she  had  disturbed  his  labors. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  for  interrupting  you,"  she  said,  en- 
veloping herself  in  the  quaint  stiffness  habitual  with  her 
when  embarrassed.  "  I  begged  Violet  to  write  you  a  note, 
but  she  said  she  had  not  time.  It  is  only  she  wants  you  to 
be  sure  and  come  and  dine  to-night — she  will  take  no  ve- 
f usal — along  with  Mr.  Aylrner  and  Madame  Magnoletti — 
because  the  professor  is  going  away — I  mean,  of  course  he 
is  to  be  there — and  she  wishes  you  all  to  meet  him." 

Having  hastily  enunciated  this  not  over-clear  explana- 
tion, Mary  began  wetting  her  clay  as  eagerly  as  if  it  had 
been  left  dry  for  a  week,  and,  as  it  was  too  wet  already,  an 
ill-advised  pat  she  gave  the  bust  sorely  disturbed  the  sym- 
metry of  its  Grecian  nose.  The  effect  was  exceedingly 
ludicrous  ;  she  and  Warner  saw  it  at  the  instant  :  he  was 
deciding  to  refuse  the  invitation,  and  she  wondering  if  he 
noticed  how  her  hands  trembled.  Both  were  excited  and 
nervous,  and  they  suddenly  burst  out  laughing,  then  looked 
at  each  other,  half-pouting,  half-appeased,  like  two  chil- 
dren. 

"Psyche  with  a  cocked-up  nose  !"  said  Warner. 

"It  is  your  fault.  I  was  just  turning  round  to  see 
what  made  you  so  long  in  answering,"  retorted  Mary. 

"  I  think — I  am  afraid  I  have  an  engagement,"  he  said, 
recovering  his  gravity  at  once. 

"  Cousin  Violet  will  never  forgive  you  if  you  leave  her 
with  so  many  unsquired  ladies  at  her  dinner-table,"  Mary 
urged. 


AGAINST     FATE.  265 

"  Oh,  indeed,"  said  he,  waxing  cross  again  ;  "  I  am 
sorry  I  can't  make  myself  useful  in  filling  up  a  gap." 

Mary,  fearful  her  speech  had  sounded  rude,  forgot  her 
irritation  in  penitence  and  regret. 

"  I  arn  sure  you  know  how  cordially  Violet  likes  you," 
she  said  ;  "  please  do  not  disappoint  her  !" 

She  looked  at  him  and  smiled,  blushing  a  little  ;  he 
could  not  resist  that  half-appealing  glance  ;  forgot  his  sus- 
picions— forgot  Laurence  Aylmer  for  the  moment. 

"  Will  you  say  that  you  would  remember  to  care  if  I  did 
not  come  ?"  he  asked,  with  a  certain  seriousness  under  his 
playful  manner. 

""  I  wish  you  would  accept,"  Mary  said,  honestly,  then 
relapsed  into  her  stiffness.  lie  had  been  so  odd  and 
changeable  of  late,  that  she  was  afraid  of  seeming  undigni- 
fied or  forward  if  she  betrayed  too  much  solicitude  over  a 
matter  which  ought  to  be  treated  as  a  trifle. 

"  Then  I  will/'  he  said. 

And  now  she  smiled  so  cordially  that  the  sunshine 
lighted  his  soul.  They  began  to  talk — of  the  bust,  the 
weather,  no  matter  what  ;  any  subject  would  serve,  and, 
who  knows  ?  the  conversation  might  have  drifted  on  and 
on,  until  Warner's  heart  would  have  overleaped  bounds, 
and  the  clouds  been  dispersed  so  effectually  that  any  later 
gathering  into  gloom  would  become  impossible.  But  Fate 
would  not  permit  this  ;  she  sent  a  messenger  in  the  person 
of  old  Miss  Vaughton,  who  suddenly  appeared  on  the 
threshold  of  her  salon  with  a  bunch  of  flowers  in  one  hand 
and  a  head  of  lettuce  in  the  other.  Cook  had  just  come 
home  from  market,  and  Miss  Vaughton  had  brought  the 
roses  to  leave  as  a  friendly  gift,  and  the  lettuce  to  exhibit 
as  a  marvel  of  size  considering  the  season. 

Nor  would  she  retire  in  search  of  some  household  occu- 
pation, as  she  usually  did  at  this  hour ;  no  indeed.  She 
called  her  woman  to  take  the  lettuce,  and  began  to  arrange 
the  flowers  in  a  vase.  Nor  would  she  be  taciturn  and  in- 
offensive, according  to  custom.  She  insisted  on  talking. 
Even  her  loquacity  might  have  been  endured  without  call- 
ing down  Warner's  secret  maledictions  on  her  venerable 
head,  had  she  been  content  to  remain  deaf  as  ordinary,  in 
which  case,  whether  other  people  talked  or  not  during  her 
monologue,  she  would  have  been  none  the  wiser  ;  but  she 
heard  in  that  diabolical  fashion  deaf  people  will  now  and 
12 


266  AGAINST     FATE. 

then,  and  what  she  did  not  catch  she  would  have  explained 
k — she,  always  the  mildest  and  most  deprecatory  creature 
in  existence  ! 

She  stayed  and  she  chattered  until  Warner,  mentally  de- 
claring his  belief  that  the  devil  had  entered  her,  betook  him- 
self to  his  studio  in  despair,  and  fell  a-dreamiug  instead  of 
doing  his  work  in  a  sensible  fashion. 

During  the  afternoon,  while  he  was  wondering  what  ex- 
cuse he  could  devise  for  paying  a  second  visit,  in  order  to 
be  certain  that  the  sunshine  still  lasted,  the  professor  came 
in  to  look  at  his  picture,  and,  before  he  had  finished  criti- 
cising it,  sent  desolation  to  Warner's  soul  by  exclaiming  : 

"  I  thought  that  dawdling  Aylmer  was  just  behind  me  ! 
I  told  him  not  to  interrupt  Miss  Danvers's  work  any 
longer." 

Five  minutes  passed  ;  the  professor  criticised  and 
praised  ;  ten  minutes  passed  !  he  was  talking  still,  and 
Warner  trying  to  listen  and  answer — but  no  Aylmer 
appeared.  The  sunshine  was  all  gone  ;  the  young  artist 
drifting  down  into  a  gloom  black  as  night ! 

Presently  the  offender  entered,  but  Mary  accompanied 
him,  and  she  looked  smiling  and  happy — and  oh,  surely  she 
was  blushing  ;  ay,  and  that  Aylmer  fairly  whispering  in 
her  ear  to  the  very  door  ! 

"  Since  you  were  to  be  interrupted,  Mr.  Warner,  I  let 
myself  be  persuaded  to  come  too,"  said  Mary,  serene  in  the 
belief  that  the  atmosphere  of  the  morning  still  continued. 

"  I  am  fortunate  that  such  was  the  case,"  he  replied,  and 
the  very  sound  of  his  voice  warned  Mary  that  they  were 
back  in  the  chill  realm  of  discord.  She  felt  vexed  with 
him,  ashamed  of  caring,  ready  to  disbelieve  Violet's  hopeful 
theories,  and  quite  forgot  to  examine  the  picture,  in  her  in- 
terest in  something  Aylmer  was  telling  her  about  Sweden, 
dpropos  to  a  sketch  of  Warner's. 

The  painter  was  inclined  to  refuse  the  invitation  to 
dinner  after  all  ;  but  that  would  be  rude  now,  so  he 
dressed  and  went  to  the  house  at  the  appointed  hour.  The 
marchesa  was  already  there,  having  come  very  early,  but 
the  two  remaining  guests  had  not  arrived.  The  respite 
proved  of  no  service  to  Warner,  however.  The  other  three 
ladies  made  him  welcome,  but  Mary  did  not  choose  to 
appear  forward,  and  sat  almost  silent,  never  once  looking 
iu  his  direction  after  she  had  returned  his  salutations. 


AGAINST     FATE.  267 

At  length  the  professor's  voice  sounded  in  the  anteroom, 
deep  and  agitated,  like  the  notes  of  a  bass  drum. 

"Potztausendf  That  pamphlet  I  put  in  my  pocket  for 
the  Fraulein.  I  had  it  when  I  got  out  of  the  hack  !  Run, 
run,  you  blessed  Antonio,  and  see  if  it  is  on  the  stairs  ! 
Laurence,  you  needn't  wait,  announce  yourself  while  I  get 
out  of  this  confounded  great-coat,  the  builder  of  which 
ought  to  be  consigned  to  the  rack — the  rack  !" 

The  ladies'  laughter  from  the  salon  replied.  Laurence 
pushed  back  the  curtains  and  entered,  laughing  also. 

"Mr.  Aylmer,"  he  announced.  "Miss  Cameron,  if  I 
do  your  footman's  u  Ny  I  shall  expect  to  be  paid  accord- 
ingly." 

Ah,  Mary  could  brighten  now — Warner  saw  that.  She 
could  receive  and  answer  this  new-comer's  greetings  with 
evident  pleasure.  Violet  saw  it  too,  and  thought  how  rap- 
idly this  change  had  come  about  from  the  old  shyness  in 
the  presence  of — ah,  yes — her  friend  Laurence  ! 

Then,  the  professor  having  freed  himself  from  the  great- 
coat, made  his  entrance,  dropped  his  handkerchief  before 
he  reached  the  center  of  the  salon,  and,  in  stooping  to  pick 
it  up,  turned  his  back  to  the  group,  and  was  astounded  by 
hearing  a  second  burst  of  laughter,  in  which  all  the  specta- 
tors joined.  Neither  ill-humor  nor  the  demands  of  courtesy 
could  have  hindered  any  human  creature  from  yielding  to 
merriment.  The  professor  was  dressed  in  correct  evening 
costume,  even  to  the  flower  in  his  button-hole,  but  one  of 
the  s\vallow-tails  of  his  coat  was  wanting — had  been  cut  off 
close  up  to  the  body  of  the  garment,  presenting  an  effect 
indescribably  ludicrous. 

The  professor  raised  himself,  turned  a  wondering  face 
on  the  group,  and  cried  : 

"  Have  you  all  been  taking  laughing-gas?" 

They  tried  to  check  their  mirth,  but  found  it  impossible  ; 
so  Violet  hurried  forward,  seized  the  savant  by  the  shoulder, 
and  stationed  him  so  that  he  could  see  his  own  image  in  a 
mirror. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  ?"  she  demanded. 

The  sage  was  betrayed  into  one  brief  expression  of  sur- 
pn'se,  then  he  stood  and  stared  at  his  own  reflection,  stoical 
as  an  old  Roman. 

"  After  all,"  said  he,  slowly,  "  it  is  an  improvement.  A 
coat  with  swallow-tails  is  a  ridiculous  thing — when  you 


268  AGAINST     FATE. 

cut  off  half  the  caudal  extremity  it  can  only  be  half  so  ri- 
diculous." 

As  the  laughter  gradually  died  away,  he  condescended 
to  explain.  He  had  been  busy  with  some  chemical  experi- 
ment, and  wanting  a  piece  of  cloth  at  a  critical  moment,  ran 
into  his  bedroom,  scissors  in  hand,  to  cut  a  bit  off  an  old 
coat  he  had  left  hanging  on  the  bed-post.  The  woman,  in 
arranging  the  chamber,  had  hung  his  festive  costume  over 
the  ancient  garment,  and  in  the  gloom,  the  professor  ruth- 
lessly snipped  off  the  left  tail  and  went  back  to  his  task, 
becoming  so  absorbed  therein  that  it  grew  late  before  he 
recollected  his  engagement.  He  dressed  in  a  great  hurry, 
his  mind  still  occupied  with  his  work,  and  put  himself  into 
the  coat  without  noticing  its  disfigurement. 

"  I  shall  not  go  home  unless  you  send  me,  Fraulein,"  he 
declared,  perfectly  unabashed,  as  he  finished  his  explanation. 
"I  would  try  the  resources  of  Antonio's  wardrobe,  but  he 
is  smaller  than  I,  and  I  suppose  my  paletot  would  be  as 
objectionable  as  my  present  plight  ?  Come,  decide  ;  will 
you  have  a  mutilated  swallow,  or  shall  he  fly  off  and  hide 
his  shame  and  misery  in  his  desolate  nest  ?" 

"If  you  forgive  our  lack  of  generosity  in  laughing,  we 
can  easily  forgive  your  lack  of  caudal  appendage,"  said  she. 

By  this  time  Warner  had  remembered  his  sense  of 
injury,  and  Eliza  Bronson  to  be  a  little  shocked  at  such  an 
accident,  but  the  general  hilarity  soon  seized  them  again. 
Of  course  they  all  sat  down  at  table  in  a  most  nonsensical 
mood,  and  Violet  did  her  best  to  keep  the  conversation  at 
that  pitch  as  long  as  she  could — the  more  trivial  the  sub- 
ject the  better,  in  her  frame  of  mind. 

It  was  a  gay  evening,  but,  with  the  exception  of  Nina 
and  the  professor,  the  gayety  required  an  effort.  Eliza 
Bronson  felt  twinges  in  her  neck  which  warned  her  that  she 
had  taken  cold,  and  should  probably  have  an  attack  of  neu- 
ralgia, and  the  others  were  troubled  by  twinges  sharper 
than  her  physical  reminders. 

Aylmer  found  Miss  Cameron's  friendliness  too  composed 
and  frank  to  be  satisfactory.  She  could  have  no  feeling 
whatever  for  him.  If  his  love  had  touched  her  heart,  she 
would  find  it  impossible  to  preserve  this  sisterly  calm  with- 
out a  break.  It  was  a  new  dread,  and  all  the  more  stinging 
on  that  account.  As  for  Violet,  she  had  placed  Aylmer 
between  Nina  and  Mary,  and  a  dozen  times  during  dinner, 


AGAINST     FATE.  269 

perceived  fresh  evidence  of  the  intimacy  which  had  grown 
up  between  her  cousin  and  Laurence,  and  the  open  pleas- 
ure which  the  young  girl  showed  in  his  conversation.  Gil- 
bert Warner  saw  these  signs  as  plainly  as  Miss  Cameron, 
and  reviled  his  own  folly  in  having  come  to  be  tortured  in 
this  fashion.  He  chafed  and  fretted  till  he  felt  as  if  con- 
sumed by  fever,  and  condemned  all  dinners  as  hollow 
mockeries,  and  their  present  feast  the  most  hollow  of  all. 

Late  in  the  evening,  while  Eliza  Bronson  gratified  the 
professor  with  selections  of  Wagner's  music,  Mary  and 
Warner  seized  the  opportunity  to  bring  new  clouds  between 
themselves  by  a  little  disagreement  about  an  article  of  Lau- 
rence Aylmer's  in  a  late  review  :  Warner,  with  elaborate 
candor,  admiring  the  style,  but  condemning  the  sentiments 
with  polished  ferocity  ;  and  Mary,  taking  the  opposite  side, 
partly  from  irritation,  partly  because  she  hated  injustice, 
and  Warner  was  unjust.  Laurence  sat  at  a  distance  talking 
with  Violet  and  Nina,  and  Violet  received  her  warning — 
proof  that  her  careful,  pei'sistent  efforts  to  restrain  their 
intercourse  to  the  safe  grounds  of  friendship  had  done  its 
work  ! 

Nina  was  telling  a  story  of  a  marriage  which  had  lately 
taken  place  between  two  of  her  acquaintances.  The  en- 
gagement had  been  a  long  one — the  man  away  in  Japan  for 
several  years.  Time  and  absence,  perhaps,  undermined  his 
affection  :  at  all  events,  he  fell  in  love  with  the  daughter  of 
one  of  the  foreign  consuls  at  Yokohama.  He  behaved  well 
according  to  his  lights  :  sailed  for  Europe,  the  preparations 
for  the  wedding  were  made,  and  it  was  only  at  the  last 
moment,  through  the  stupidity  or  malice  of  a  connection 
lately  returned  from  Japan,  that  the  lady  learned  the  truth. 
She  taxed  her  lover  with  his  unfaithfulness,  and  he  told 
her  the  whole  tale,  announcing  his  readiness  to  fulfill  his 
promise — and  she  married  him. 

"  One  would  like  to  have  her  walled-up  alive  !"  cried 
impetuous  Nina,  as  she  ended  her  narrative. 

"  I  blame  the  man  as  much  as  I  do  her,"  said  Violet, 
firmly. 

"  And  you,  Mr.  Aylmer  ?  Now  for  a  masculine  view," 
added  Nina. 

"  I  cannot  blame  him,"  he  answered  slowly,  rather  hesi- 
tatingly, in  reality  wondering  a  little  over  Miss  Cameron's 
remark.  "  Under  such  circumstances  an  honorable  man 


270  AGAINST     FATE. 

must  feel  himself  guilty — base  !  No — be  could  not  speak 
— he  must  fulfill  bis  vow — keep  silence  utterly  ! 

"  I  cannot  imagine  a  greater  wrong,"  said  Violet.  "  To 
a  true  woman  there  could  be  no  cruelty  like  that.  His  duty 
was  to  tell  her  the  plain  facts,  to  ask  for  his  freedom.  Do 
human  beings  love  or  unlove  at  pleasure?  He  was  not  to 
blame  for  the  weakness  of  his  heart,  but  he  was  to  blame 
for  sacrificing  his  own  future,  bringing  a  sharper  unhappi- 
ness  on  her  than  the  truth,  bad  as  it  might  have  been, 
could  have  brought  if  told  in  time." 

"  Well,  I  never  expected  to  hear  Miss  Cameron  uphold 
infidelity,  eh,  Mr.  Aylmer  y"  Nina  exclaimed. 

"  No,"  he  said  constrainedly. 

"I  do  not,"  Violet  replied.  "But  people  make  mis- 
takes— even  good,  honorable,  yes,  resolute  people.  Such 
blunders  are  not  always  a  proof  of  weakness  either." 

"It  is  certain,"  said  Aylmer,  "that  even  people  who 
know  their  own  minds  as  a  rule  do  err  in  affairs  of  the 
heart.  It  is  so  difficult  often  to  decide  what  is  love,  what 
fancy.  But  if  a  man  mistakes  a  caprice  for  a  real  senti- 
ment, he  ought  to  abide  by  the  consequences." 

"The  woman  must  be  blind  indeed  who  could  not  per- 
ceive it,  mad  or  cruel  if  she  did  not  free  him  willingly," 
said  Violet. 

"  That  would  be  easy  enough  if  she  had  only  taken 
him  on  probation,"  observed  Nina,  laughing.  "  Men's 
vanity  will  not  let  them  believe  it,  bat  half  the  time  we 
women  are  drawn  into  engagements  just  because  an  adorer 
is  importunate — one  pities  him,  tries  to  believe  that  sym- 
pathy is  affection — and  so  yields." 

"  Very  true,"  rejoined  Violet.  "  And  often,  often  she 
would  gladly  find  an  excuse  to  draw  back  !  How  thank- 
ful she  must  be  if  his  heart  does  speak,  and  show  him,  that 
what  he  thought  love  was  only  a  fancy  !  All  he  has  to  do 
is  to  be  honest.  Why,  he  could  have  no  surer,  more  devoted 
friend  in  the  world  than  that  woman  !" 

"I  think  he  would  pass  a  good  many  uncomfortable 
hours,"  said  Aylmer.  "I  suppose,  if  she  showed  him  that 
she  saw  the  truth  and  was  content,  his  part  would  be  easy 
enough  ;  that  is,  in  the  case  you  mention,  marchesa,  where 
she  had  only  been  trying  to  learn  to  care  for  him." 

"  Yes,  perhaps,"  Nina  replied. 

"He  would  be  put  out  of  all  difficulty  at  once,"  said 


AGAINST     FATE.  271 

Violet.  "She  would  not,  if  a  true  woman,  leave  him  an 
hour  in  doubt  after  she  knew  the  facts.  She  would  speak, 
or  so  plainly  show  him  that  she  saw — be  his  tacit  assistance 
in  the  quarter  where  he  really  loved — that  he  could  either 
tell  his  story  or  be  certain  that  he  might  look  upon  matters 
as  already  settled." 

"  There  may  be  truth  in  the  often-repeated  assertion 
that  men  are  fickle,"  said  Aylmer  ;  "  that  special  weakness 
being  such  a  sore  spot  for  a  man  to  contemplate  in  his  own 
nature,  is  perhaps  a  proof." 

"No  man  nee  1  be  ashamed  of  making  a  mistake,"  said 
Violet  ;  "  he  need  only  be  ashamed  of  the  weakness  of  not 
acknowledging  it." 

"Very  harsh  doctrines,  if  modern  women  had  hearts 
like  the  heroines  in  old-fashioned  novels,"  laughed  Nina.  • 

"  A  right  doctrine,"  said  Violet. 

Just  then  Warner  came  up  to  take  his  leave,  and  the 
conversation  ended.  In  a  few  moments  the  guests  were 
gone,  and  Violet  went  at  once  to  her  room. 

She  understood  everything  now.  Aylmer  had  recog- 
nized the  difference  between  fancy  and  love — he  had  feared 
to  appear  weak  or  false  in  her  eyes,  and  so  had  sought  to 
guard  his  heart  against  Mary's  smiles. 

"  It  is  all  clear,"  Violet  said  to  her  image  as  she  rose 
and  stood  before  the  glass,  after  a  long  meditation.  "  Are 
those  tears?  Come,  I  did  not  know  you  had  been  crying  ! 
I'll  not  scold  you — a  little  nonsense  might  be  admissible  as 
long  as  there  was  a  doubt.  But  you  know  the  truth  now, 
you  see  your  way,  and  you  mean  to  walk  steadily  therein. 
Fears  he  may  look  weak  !  No,  no — we  knew  it  was  only  a 
fancy,  knew  it  from  the  first !  I  told  you  so — wanted  it  so 
— you  are  quite  at  rest,  quite  satisfied — and  he  is  my  friend 
Laurence  !" 

And  when  the  dawn  appeared  she  woke  from  a  mocking 
vision  in  which  he  stood  beside  her,  told  her  that  she  erred 
— he  loved  her  ! 

"  I  will  cry  !"  she  moaned  ;  "  I  have  a  right — not  for 
him,  not  for  my  silly  dream  !  But  Fate  was  cruel  to  send 
me  da-earns  so  late,  and  it  is  against  Fate,  not  my  heart, 
that  I  battle !" 


372 


"SHE    SAID     GOOD-BY" 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 


"SHE     SAID     GOOD-BY. 

WO  days  went  by,  which,  busy  as  she  kept  her- 
self, gave  Violet  ample  leisure  for  reflection. 
She  comprehended  that  neither  anger  nor  self- 
contempt  would  help  her  case.  She  must  admit 
as  a  truth  that  the  experience,  without  which 
she  had  always  said  no  woman's  life  could  be  complete, 
while  believing  it  would  never  come  lo  her,  had  set  its  in- 
effaceable seal  upon  the  present  and  future. 

And  almost  as  soon  as  she  had  learned  that  it  was  Love 
who  stood  beside  her,  she  had  been  forced  to  see  that  the 
garland  in  his  hand  was  withered  already.  Well,  faded 
flowers  were  appropriate,  typical  of  her  age  !  Ah  !  she 
was  trying  again  to  be  mocking  and  severe — why  should 
she  ?  Surely  she  might  show  a  little  tenderness  to  her 
heart — yield  a  little  to  the  pity  she  felt  for  herself.  Re- 
nunciation— sacrifice — -those  were  the  lessons  she  must 
learn  now  ;  bitterness  and  wrath  would  only  render  the 
task  more  difficult. 

How  interminable  these  last  eight-ancl-forty  hours  ap- 
peared as  she  looked  back  over  them  ;  how  this  present 
day  dragged  ;  how  tired  she  was  ;  how  ashamed  of  the 
petty  irritability  which  beset  her — the  desire  to  turn  away 
from  Mary's  morning  welcome  with  stinging  words,  to  be 
sharp  and  abrupt  with  anybody  who  approached  !  It 
seemed,  too,  as  if  every  human  being  near  deliberately 
chose  that  time  to  be  as  annoying  as  possible :  to  do  what- 
ever ought  to  be  left  undone  and  say  everything  that  ought 
to  be  left  unsaid,  from  worthy  Miss  Bronson  down  to 
Clarice. 

"  My  dear,"  said  Eliza,  "  how  pretty  Mary  grows. 
Really  she  begins  to  look  very  like  you  when  you  were 
young — I  mean,  when  you  were  her  age." 

"  Which  comes  to  the  same  thing,"  returned  Violet. 

"  I  don't  know  if  you  have  noticed — but  I  have — oh,  I 

have   been  certain  of  it  for   some   time,"   pursued  Eliza. 

"However  limited  the  range  of  my  mental  faculties  may 

be,  at  least  I  possess  the  ability  of  observation — of  seeing 


"  SHE    SAW     GOOD-BY."  273 

things  clearly.     You  will  own  that  I  can  say  so  much  with- 
out betraying  undue  vanity." 

"No  doubt,"  said  Violet,  and  longed  to  add  that  she 
had  a  wonderful  faculty  for  seeing  everything  wrong,  and 
felt  more  ashamed  than  ever  at  this  impulse  to  turn  upon  a 
creature  so  defenseless. 

"She  likes  him,"  sighed  Eliza,  "but  has  only  lately  dis- 
covered the  state  of  her  heart.  You -may  not  have  observed 
— but  I  can  enlighten  you  now,  for  I  am  sure  he  likes  her — 
perfectly  sure  !  So  suitable  in  every  way,  is  it  not  ?  I  am 
so  pleased  ;  you  will  be  too,  I  know,  when  you  think  it  over. 
You  are  surprised — admit  it !  Oh,  I  have  kept  their  little 
secret." 

"  Has  one  been  confided  to  you  ?"  Violet  asked. 

"No,  no,  not  a  word  ;  it  was  not  necessary.  Why,  I 
saw  from  the  first  how  it  would  be.  I  hinted  it  to  you  in 
the  beginning.  Oh,  you  must  recollect — now,  don't  you 
recollect  ?" 

"  I  dare  say  you  did." 

"  Just  reflect ;  you  must  remember." 

"Oh,  perfectly,"  said  Violet,  desperately  plunging  into 
the  falsehood  to  get  rid  of  further  importunity. 

"  Ah,  I  thought  you  would.  Yes,  yes  !  What  does 
Moore  say  ?"  Eliza  maundered  on,  "  '  There's  nothing  half 
so  sweet  in  life '  How  does  it  run,  Violet  ?" 

"I  am  eighteen  years  too  old  to  remember,"  said  Violet. 

"  '  Nothing  half  so  sweet '     Is  it  sweet,  or  bright  ? 

— as — as — 'Nothing  half  so '     Dear  me,  how  very  odd 

that  I  can't  recall  it." 

"  I  think  I  shall  go  out,"  said  Violet. 

"I'll  go  with  you  if  you  don't  mind.  'There's  noth- 
ing  '  how  vexatious!  'A  peri  stood  at  the  garden 

gate '     Oh,  mercy,  no  !" 

"Please,  Eliza,"  broke  in  Violet,  "do  go  to  the  library 
and  hunt  up  Moore  if  you  are  in  the  mood  for  his  sugary- 
inanities." 

Enter  Clarice. 

"  Oh,  mademoiselle,  I  am  desolated.  I  beg  mademoi- 
selle's pardon,  I  so  seldom  forget,  and  the  letter  mademoi- 
selle g.ive  me  yesterday  quite  went  out  of  my  mind." 

Business  letters,  of  great  importance  too.     And  on  Clar- 
ice's heels  appeared  Antonio. 
12* 


274  "SHE    SAID     GOOD-BY." 

"lam  very  sorry  to  tell  mademoiselle "  Then  a 

long  story  about  the  necessity  of  discharging  a  gardener. 

"  'There's  nothing  half  so  sweet  in  life  as  love's  young 
dream  !'  "  sang  Eliza,  triumphantly,  putting  her  head  in  at 
the  door  just  after  Violet  had  got  rid  of  the  other  importu- 
nates.  "  Pretty,  is  it  riot  ?" 

Fate  is  never  satisfied  without  thrusting  an  under-cur- 
rent of  broad  farce  into  our  tragedies.  Any  human  being 
who  has  suffered  knows  this — knows,  too,  how  it  grates 
and  jars,  denuding  suffering  even  of  the  dignity  which 
might  give  a  certain  support. 

Violet  ordered  the  carriage  in  desperation,  but  go  with 
her  Miss  Bronson  would,  and  chattered  like  a  magpie  all 
the  time.  They  were  passing  the  Palazzo  Rimini  when  she 
uttered  a  sudden  exclamation  : 

"  I  am  surprised  that  he  visits  her — I  really  am  ! 
But  he  just  went  in;  did  you  see  him,  Violet?  Mr. 
Aylmer " 

"Certainly  has  a  right  to  visit  where  he  pleases,"  in- 
terrupted Violet,  and  fell  to  wondering  if,  after  all,  Lau- 
rence were  less  frank  and  honest  than  she  had  thought 
him.  But  this  fancy  was  only  in  keeping  with  her  other 
pettiness.  She  was  in  a  mood  to  suspect  any  and  every- 
body— to  be  harsh  and  unjust.  Oh,  how  contemptible  to 
let  trouble  affect  her  in  this  fashion  ! 

They  drove  to  the  Cascine,  Eliza  recurring  to  the  com- 
pliments on  her  own  perspicacity,  and  relating  the  growth 
of  her  discovery  with  "  damnable  iteration,"  till  Violet  felt 
she  must  spring  out  of  the  carriage  to  escape  the  sound  of 
her  voice. 

"  I  have  never  said  a  word  until  this  morning.  I  did 
not  mention  Mr.  Aylmer's  name,  you  may  be  sure — but  oh, 
if  yon  had  seen  how  she  colored  up,  and  ran  away " 

"  Home,  Gregorio !"  called  Violet  to  the  coachman, 
unable  to  bear  these  gnat-stings  any  longer. 

"It  is  early  yet.  I  think  I  will  stop  at  Mrs.  Eaton's," 
said  Eliza ;  "  I  have  not  been  there  for  so  long." 

"  I  would,  by  all  means,"  cried  Violet,  almost  enthusi- 
astically. "  Stop  at  the  Hotel  de  Russie,  Gregorio." 

"On  the  whole,  I  think  I  will  wait  till  to-morrow,"  said 
Eliza.  "  Aren't  you  a  little  pale,  my  dear?  Have  you  got 
a  headache  ?  Oh,  my  love,  here  comes  Colonel  Falkland  ! 
Now  you  can  ask  him  about  taking  that  package  to  Eng- 


11  SHE    SAID     GOOD-BY."  275 

land  for  his  sister.  Gregorio,  stop  at  the  corner.  Ah, 
Violet,  at  least  I  remember  things  at  the  right  moment. 
I'll  tell  you  about  Mary  when  we  get  home — here  comes  the 
colonel — she  did  look  so  prelty  in  her  blushes.  Oh  dear  ! 
have  I  lost  my  handkerchief  ?" 

The  worthy  spinster  had  selected  this  morning  of  all 
others  to  torment  poor  Mary  as  much  as  she  had  been  wor- 
rying Violet  during  the  last  hour.  To  increase  the  sting 
of  her  words,  Mary  thought  she  was  alluding  to  Gilbert 
Wavner,  and  departed  for  the  studio  with  a  fresh  arrow  in 
her  heart.  Not  only  had  she  deceived  herself  in  regard  to 
his  feelings,  but  she  had  kept  her  own  secret  so  poorly  that 
even  Eliza  Bronson  suspected  its  existence. 

Mary's  solitude  in  her  studio  was  as  hard  to  bear  as  the 
inflictions  Violet  had  undergone ;  and  just  as  she  had 
reached  a  pitch  of  desperation  Gilbert  Warner's  evil  genius 
prompted  him  to  present  himself.  He  came,  after  swearing 
over  and  over  to  his  soul  that  he  would  stop  away — came 
in  a  miserable,  resentful,  injured  mood,  when  he  was  ready 
to  say  everything  he  ought  not,  and  misconstrue  every  re- 
mark of  hers,  and  found  Mary  in  a  humor  to  return  his 
errors  in  kind. 

A  lately-printed  lecture  of  Ruskin's  that  lay  on  the  table 
formed  a  capital  subject  of  difference.  No  two  people  ever 
did  discuss  Mr.  Raskin  without  quarreling.  In  less  than 
five  minutes  the  demigod  produced  his  usual  effect,  enabling 
them  to  display  the  deliciously  obstinate  determination  of 
widening  "  the  rift  within  the  lute,"  which  is  a  character- 
istic of  humanity — to  be  blind  and  deaf  to  the  truth  just 
at  the  moment  when  such  conduct  might  entail  consequences 
fatal  to  their  whole  future.  Had  they  quarreled  outright, 
there  would  have  been  a  hope  of  some  good  result — but 
they  did  not.  They  bickered,  and  were  sarcastic  and  indif- 
ferent ;  and  though  any  looker-on — even  a  mole — could 
have  seen  the  real  state  of  affairs,  and  set  them  right  in  a 
flash,  they  went  on  as  recklessly  as  two  perverse,  fascinated 
children  playing  with  fire ;  but  in  their  case,  pain  and 
jealousy  made  it  a  grave  contest,  in  which  neither  would 
stop,  though  conscious  of  getting  severely  burned,  until 
satisfied  of  having  at  least  scorched  the  other. 

When  they  had  exhausted  Mr.  Ruskin's  capacities  for 
creating  difficulties,  they  dragged  in  Victor  Hugo  by  his 
gray  hair,  and  after  that  employed  the  sacred  memories  of 


276  "  SHE    SAID     GOOD-BY." 

Raphael  and  Michel  Angelo  as  shuttlecocks,  and  by  tbo 
time  they  had  finished  were  exasperated  enough  to  utter 
certain  personalities  very  thinly  disguised  in  the  garments 
of  polite  words. 

Puerile — silly  !  No  doubt  ;  but  three-quarters  of  the 
misery  we  suffer  comes  about  from  as  slight  causes,  and 
the  pertinacity  with  which  we  all  at  untoward  moments 
trifle  with  our  happiness  or  fling  it  away — see  white  black, 
and  misunderstand  those  who  love  us — is  a  sight  to  make 
angels  cease  weeping,  and  decide  that  a  race  so  vacuous 
must  be  as  incapable  of  real  joy  or  grief  as  it  is  of  using  its 
boasted  reason. 

"  We  seem  fated  to  disagree  to-day,"  said  Warner. 

"  At  least  I  trust  that  I  have  been  neither  cross  nor  un- 
civil," Mary  said,  with  a  slight  emphasis  on  the  personal 
pronoun. 

"  And  that  means  I  have  ?"  returned  he,  in  an  inquiring 
tone. 

"Pray  do  not  dignify  my  words  by  assigning  them 
occult  meanings,"  said  Mary,  conscious  that  the  speech 
sounded  worthy  of  Miss  Bronson,  and  rendered  more  angry 
by  the  thought  that  her  stateliness  held  a  touch  of 
absurdity. 

"I  only  adopted  the  signification  which  was  obvious 
even  to  my  dullness,"  Warner  replied,  waxing  a  little 
Grandisonian. 

Perhaps  now,  had  they  been  left  alone,  one  or  the  other 
might  have  pronounced  words  so  sharp  that  penitence 
would  have  brought  about  a  better  understanding,  but  an 
interruption  came  at  this  moment — deferred,  one  would 
almost  be  ready  to  say,  by  some  malicious  imp,  until  it 
could  do  harm  instead  of  good. 

Some  person  in  Mr.  Vaughton's  studio  knocked  on  the 
door — it  proved  to  be  the  sculptor's  head  workman,  bring- 
ing a  note. 

"  Is  there  an  answer  ?"  Mary  asked. 

The  messenger  was  waiting  to  know. 

"  Will  you  excuse  me,  Mr.  Warner  ?" 

Warner  bowed.  As  Mary  tore  off  the  envelope  it 
fluttered  to  his  feet  ;  glancing  involuntarily  down  at  it,  he 
recognized  Laurence  Aylmer's  writing.  He  looked  back  at 
Mary.  She  was  reading  eagerly — oh,  her  color  changed  ! 
he  was  sure  of  that — her  very  fingers  trembled  !  She  had 


"  SHE    SAID     GOOD-B7."  277 

been  changing  color  rapidly  and  trembling  for  some 
moments  before,  but  he  had  not  noticed  it. 

As  she  looked  up  their  eyes  met  ;  he  thought  she 
seemed  amazed  at  his  scrutiny,  afraid,  perhaps,  that  she 
might  have  betrayed  her  pleasure  in  perusing  the  page. 

"  Yes — and  my  best  thanks — tell  the  man  to  say,"  was 
Mary's  observation  to  the  workman,  who  bowed  and  de- 
parted. 

Warner  stooped  for  the  envelope,  and  handed  it  to  her. 

She  accepted  it  with  a  gesture  of  thanks,  and  put  the 
note  back  therein.  At  another  time  she  would  very  likely 
have  shown  him  the  missive — .1  cheerful  little  billet,  in- 
closing an  address  of  some  mutual  friend,  which  she  had 
asked  him  for  on  the  previous  evening. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  something  pleasant  has  happened  to 
you,"  said  Warner,  determined  that  she  should  have  no 
doubt  as  to  whether  he  had  perceived  her  agitated  manner 
while  reading  the  page.  "One  never  can  fail  to  recognize 
that  peculiar  writing — pray  don't  think  I  picked  up  the  en- 
velope for  the  purpose  of  looking  at  it." 

"I  do  think  you  are  rude  1"  cried  Mary,  indignantly. 
"  You  have  no  right  to  suppose  me  mean  enough  to  harbor 
such  a  suspicion." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  again.  Really  I  am  so  unfortunate 
in  my  remarks  that  I  think  I  had  better  bid  you  good-day." 

"  Good-day,"  echoed  Mary. 

"I  will  leave  you  with  Mr.  Aylmer's  letter" — affecting 
to  laugh — "  that  will  be  agreeable,  like  its  writer." 

"  Mr.  Aylmer  is  always  good-natured,"  said  Mary. 

"  Oh,  a  preux  chevalier." 

"  Good,  honest,  noble.     I  thought  he  was  your  friend." 

"  He  is  ;  and  he  is  all  that  you  say,"  replied  Warner  ; 
then,  with  another  pretended  laugh,  he  added :  "  The 
woman  who  marries  him  will  be  fortunate,  however  great 
her  own  deserts,  and  " — still  laughing — "  I  fancy  I  know 
who  that  woman  is." 

Mary  had  turned  towards  the  pedestal  which  supported 
her  clay.  She  looked  back,  and  momentarily  forgot  anger 
in  a  desire  to  warn  him  not  to  open  his  lips  to  anybody 
else,  supposing  that  he  referred  to  her  cousin  Violet. 

"  Please  don't  say  it  ;  oh,  he  has  never — I  mean " 

Her  eagerness  resembled  embarrassment.  He  grew 
fairly  sick  and  blind.  He  had  been  answered  indeed. 


278  A    MORNING    RIDE. 

"  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,"  he  interrupted,  caught  his 
breath,  and  gasped  :  "  Don't  fear  my  speaking  !" 

Oh,  he  must  get  away,  the  room  reeled  !  He  snatched 
at  his  watch,  stammered  something,heard  Alary  ask  thehour. 

"  Four  o'clock,"  he  said  ;  "  I — I  had  forgotten  an  en- 
gagement on  business.  Good-morning,  Miss  Danvers." 

"  Good-by,"  replied  Mary,  not  by  any  means  appeased, 
and  hastily  resumed  her  work. 

He  hurried  across  the  room,  paused  and  gazed  at  her 
for  an  instant,  then  went  out  and  closed  the  door. 

He  reached  his  studio,  flung  himself  into  a  chair,  but 
not  a  moment's  space  for  recovery  from  his  agitation  was 
given.  The  servant  entered  with  a  letter.  He  opened  it, 
hardly  knowing  what  he  was  about  :  took  in  the  meaning 
enough  to  understand  that  it  contained  a  proposal  to  go  to 
Greece.  An  immediate  answer  was  requisite. 

"  She  said  good-by,"  he  muttered:  "it  shall  be  good- 
by  !  I  have  learned  the  truth  at  last  ;  there  is  nothing  to 
keep  me  here  any  longer." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A     MORNING     RIDE. 

HE  next  morning  was  so  bright  and  beautiful 
that  Violet  felt  sorely  irritated  by  her  inability 
to  get  away  from  her  gloomy  misanthropic 
fancies.  She  tried  divers  employments,  from 
music  to  needlework  ;  but  piano  and  harp  only 
seemed  to  give  out  mocking  voices  under  her  touch — 
voices  cognizant  of  her  folly  and  full  of  unpitying  re- 
proaches therefor.  When  she  sat  down  to  some  complicated 
piece  of  lace  embroidery,  which  she  kept  on  hand  as  a  kind 
of  penance,  she  could  no  more  count  the  stitches  correctly 
than  if  she  had  never  studied  an  addition-table  in  her  life, 
and  discovered  after  a  few  minutes  that  she  had  wrought 
such  eccentric  variations  in  her  pattern  that  the  gossamer 
web  looked  like  a  preposterous  Chinese  puzzle  invented  by 
some  Celestial  laboring  under  temporary  aberration  of 
mind. 


A    MORNING    RIDE.  279 

She  flung  aside  her  needlework,  ordered  her  horse,  and 
was  as  impatient  over  the  time  it  took  to  get  into  her  habit 
as  if  she  had  been  late  in  starting  on  some  momentous 
journey. 

A  narrow,  unfrequented  street  led  directly  from  her 
house  to  the  broad  viale  which  encircles  the  city.  She 
took  this  route,  gained  the  suspension-bridge  that  crosses 
the  river  at  the  entrance  of  theOascine,  and  galloped  away 
down  the  road  beyond  the  Porta  Romana. 

The  March  day  might  have  strayed  up  from  Sicily,  it 
was  so  warm  and  bright,  only  with  an  exhilarating  fresh- 
ness in  the  air  peculiar  to  the  climate  of  Tuscany.  The 
sky  seemed  a  vast  turquoise  sea,  with  great  shallops  of 
white  clouds  moored  here  and  there  in  its  azure  depths  ; 
the  atmosphere  so  clear  that  objects  miles  distant  were  dis- 
tinctly visible.  The  groves  of  olive  trees  cast  long  gray 
shadows  over  the  hill-sides  ;  the  mountains  in  the  back- 
ground were  crowned  with  wide  bands  of  amber  light  ; 
the  whole  scene  lovely  and  picturesque  beyond  descrip- 
tion, only  possessing  a  sense  of  peace  and  tranquillity 
in  every  sight  and  sound  which  fretted  Violet  from  its  con- 
trast with  her  mood. 

She  reached  the  gates  of  the  old  Certosa  ;  decided  to 
dismount  and  go  in.  She  liked  to  stray  about  the  echoing 
corridors  and  neglected  garden,  tenanted  by  the  dozen  or 
more  white-robed  monks  whom  the  march  of  progress  has 
left  as  the  sole  remnant  of  the  flock  that  once  held  posses- 
sion, and  this  remnant  only  permitted  to  remain  because 
the  famous  green  and  yellow  liqueur  manufactured  within 
the  walls  gives  a  practical,  commercial  reason  for  the  reten- 
tion. 

Violet  waited  till  her  groom  rode  up,  slipped  out  of  her 
saddle,  and  passed  in  at  the  gateway,  to  receive  a  cordial 
welcome  from  the  old  monk  who  met  her  at  the  door  of  the 
church  ;  for  she  had  often  visited  the  place,  and  always 
left  such  substantial  evidence  of  her  coming  that  naturally 
the  brethren  waxed  jubilant  at  sight  of  her. 

And,  wandering  about  in  the  garden,  she  came  upon 
Gilbert  Warner,  his  usually  cheerful,  animated  face  looking 
as  if  he  had  been  tempted  into  a  long  ramble  by  fancies 
almost  as  misanthropic  and  unfitting  the  day  as  those  which 
had  driven  Miss  Cameron  out  of  doors. 

It  was   a  relief   to  see  by  his  countenance,  when  she 


280  A    MORNING    RIDE. 

suddenly  appeared,  that  he  wished  her  anywhere  else.  To 
have  met  a  person  who  showed  satisfaction  and  tried  for 
compliments  over  the  unexpected  pleasure  of  this  encounter 
she  felt  would  have  exasperated  her  beyond  endurance. 

She  greeted  him  with  her  customary  cordiality,  a  little 
amused  to  think  that  she,  the  spoiled  princess,  could  at  any 
time  or  in  any  place  stumble  upon  a  specimen  of  male 
humanity  who  failed  to  beam  with  delight  at  her  approach  : 
"  I  did  not  dream  of  finding  any  other  visitor  at  this  early 
hour,"  she  said  ;  "  much  less  so  industrious  a  person  as  you. 
Are  you  going  to  make  a  sketch  of  the  garden  and  the  old 
monk  in  the  corner  (who  pretends  to  be  absorbed  in  medi- 
tation, but  is  not),  for  a  picture  ?" 

"  No,"  Warner  replied  ;  "  I  had  an  errand  out  here  ; 
besides,  I  wanted  a  long  walk — a  chance  to  think  something 
over." 

"  Ah,  a  subject  for  a  new  picture,  of  course  !" 

"  Who  would  have  expected  you  to  be  so  matinal !"  he 
said,  without  noticing  her  remark.  "  The  last  person  I 
should  have  anticipated  the  pleasure " 

"  Don't  finish  !"  interrupted  Violet,  laughing.  "  It  is  no 
pleasure  to  meet  Miss  Cameron,  or  anybody  else  !  I  am 
sure  you  came  for  the  same  reason  that  brought  me — 
because  you  thought  you  would  not  see  a  human  creature 
except  the  monks  ;  and  they  are  such  movable  wooden 
images  they  don't  count." 

"  I  should  not  have  supposed  you  ever  had  moods  like 
those,"  he  said. 

"  I  see  no  reason  why  I  should  be  exempt  from  the  chief 
of  human  privileges — that  of  being  morose  and  out  of 
sorts,"  returned  Violet.  "  And  can  you  find  any  good  and 
sufficient  cause  why  you  should  have  any  more  right  than  I 
to  such  enjoyment?" 

"I  don't  think  I  am  morose,"  he  answered.  "  I  was 
tired — I  have  that  excuse — I  have  been  hard  at  work  for  a 
fortnight." 

"  And  I — oh,  you  need  not  laugh  !  Pray,  what  can  be 
harder  work  than  having  to  crowd  every  moment  of  one's 
waking  hours  with  what  is  called  amusement  ?" 

"Yes,  I  can  understand  that.  I  only  wonder  why  peo- 
ple do  it." 

"  So  do  the  victims  wonder,  you  may  be  sure." 

She  was  studying  his  face  now.     She  had  not  seen  him 


A    MORNING    RIDE.  281 

since  the  night  he  dined  at  her  house.  He  did  look  tired  ; 
not  so  much  physically  weary,  as  if  some  shadow  had  come 
between  his  blithe  spirit* and  the  sun.  Violet  heartily  liked 
tho  young  fellow,  with  his  earnestness  and  his  determina- 
tion. It  occurred  to  her  that  perhaps  some  of  the  evils  so 
common  to  his  estate — an  artist  in  the  outset  of  his  career — 
had  overtaken  him.  The  expected  installment  of  his 
income  might  have  failed  to  arrive  in  due  season.  He 
might  find  himself  in  a  foreign  country  menaced  by  that 
most  unendurable  of  petty  ills — a  lack  of  money.  She 
would  not  do  what  she  had  meant  to  when  they  met — speak 
a  few  pleasant  words  and  turn  away  ;  she  would  make  him. 
talk — discover  by  some  means  if  her  suspicion  were  correct. 

"  Have  you  ever  made  a  sketch  of  the  garden  ?"  she 
asked. 

"  I  began  one  the  last  time  I  was  here,  but  did  not 
finish  it,"  he  replied. 

"  I  wish  you  would,"  she  urged,  seeing  her  way  easily 
to  be  of  assistance  in  case  pecuniary  difficulties  stood  in  his 
path.  "  I  have  always  meant  to  get  somebody  to  paint  me 
a  picture  with  my  pet  monk,  Giuseppe,  in  the  foreground — 
leaning  on  the  picturesque  old  well,  for  instance.  Then  I 

should  like  a  companion  sketch — say  of Why,  what 

are  you  shaking  your  head  for?" 

"  I  should,  of  course,  be  very  much  honored  by  a  com- 
mission from  Miss  Cameron,"  he  answered,  "  but  I  fear  it 
must  wait." 

"  Ah,  well,  if  you  are  too  busy  now,  promise  to  undertake 
it  as  soon  as  you  have  time." 

"  Or  when  I  find  myself  in  Florence  again." 

"  You  are  not  thinking  of  going  away  ?  I  thought  you 
intended  to  remain  several  years  in  Italy." 

"  Yes,  I  did.  I  told  you  I  came  out  here  this  morning 
to  think  matters  over." 

"  About  going,  you  mean  ?" 

"  Last  night  I  believed  my  mind  made  up,"  he  said  ; 
"  but  men  are  such  silly  creatures  !" 

"  I  am  so  sorry  you  think  of  leaving  !" 

"  Oh,  I  shall  come  back  some  time.  I  have  had  an  offer 
to  go  to  Greece.  I  have  never  been,  you  know." 

"  Naturally,  the  opportunity  is  not  one  to  neglect,"  she 
said,  satisfied  now  that  his  trouble  had  a  different  source 
from  that  which  she  had  supposed,  but  confident  still  that 


282  A    MORNING    RIDE. 

the  trouble  existed,  and,  with  her  usual  desire  to  lighten 
care  or  distress,  her  heart  softened  more  and  more  towards 
the  young  man  who  looked  so  weary  and  sad-eyed,  so  un- 
like the  happy,  self-reliant  youth  she  had  hitherto  known. 

"  It'  you  do  go,  I  hope  you  will  not  stay  long,"  she  said  ; 
"  but  perhaps,  after  all,  you  will  decide  to  postpone  your 
journey,  since  you  were  only  thinking  about  it." 

"  My  decision  must  be  made  at  once.  If  I  go,  I  shall 
start  to-night." 

"  To-night  ?" 

"  Yes.  I  cannot  put  off  my  departure,  because  I  am  to 
meet  some  people  at  Brindisi  for  the  next  steamer,  and  I 
must  first  go  up  to  Verona.  I  have  business  there." 

She  stood  thoughtfully  regarding  him. 

"  This  is  very  sudden,"  she  said.  "  When  did  you  re- 
ceive the  proposal '?" 

"  Yesterday,"  he  replied,  his  mouth  working  a  little,  as 
pronouncing  the  word  reminded  him  of  the  circumstance 
under  which  the  news  had  come.  '•'  But — but — several 
times  lately  I  have  been  thinking  of  going  away  :  it  would 

be  better  than  to  stay  here  and  feel  what  an  idiot " 

He  broke  off  abruptly,  coloring  scarlet  to  the  roots  of  his 
hair.  "  I  have  not  the  least  idea  what  I  meant  to  say,"  he 
cried  ;  "  or  rather,  why  I  said  it  in  that  silly  fashion  !  I 
mean  I  have  an  idle  fit  on  me,  and  cannot  work  ;  change 
of  scene  may  cure  it." 

Violet  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm  as  frankly  as  if  he 
had  been  a  younger  brother. 

"Come,  walk  up  and  down,"  she  said.  "Tell  me  all 
about  it,  Gilbert  !  My  friends  always  tell  me  everything — 
I  shall  fancy  that  you  are  not  really  my  friend  unless  you 
do." 

She  spoke  truly  ;  even  the  most  reticent  people  found 
themselves  revealing  their  secrets  to  Violet  Cameron  with  a 
candor  at  which  they  might  afterwards  wonder,  though  no 
person  ever  had  reason  to  regret  such  frankness. 

To  go  away  had  proved  so  difficult  that  though  on  the 
previous  evening  Warner,  as  he  said,  had  believed  his  mind 
made  up,  he  wanted  still  time  to  reflect.  That  speech  of 
Mary's,  which  had  carried  such  sudden  desolation  to  his 
soul,  presented  itself  in  a  new  aspect  as  he  turned  it  over 
and  over  during  the  long  watches  of  the  night.  Was  it  so 
certain  she  had  referred  to  herself — would  she  so  openly 


A    MORNING     RIDE.  283 

have  spoken  ?  Or,  reading  his  secret  clearly,  did  her  desire 
to  save  him  further  self-deception  impel  her  to  betray  a 
truth  in  regard  to  her  feelings  whose  utterance  must  have 
cost  her  dearly  indeed.  He  would  talk  frankly  with  Miss 
Cameron — if  his  suspicions  were  well  founded  (a  little  while 
before  he  had  called  them  certainties),  if  Mary  loved  Lau- 
rence Aylrner,  she  would  know  it. 

"  What  is  at  the  bottom  of  this  resolution  ?"  Violet 
asked  in  her  soft,  confidence-impelling  voice.  "You  know 
it  is  not  curiosity  that  impels  me  to  ask,  Gilbert.  I  am 
sure  something  troubles  you." 

"  Yes,"  he  said. 

"Then  tell  me  what  it  is,"  she  urged.  "Remember 
how  often  we  women  discover  a  way  out  that  escapes  you 
men." 

"  You  are  very  good — only  too  good  !"  he  said. 

"  Hush  !  don't  say  that  ;  it  sounds  like  putting  me  off — 
a  polite  way  of  telling  me  I  am  meddlesome  and  intrusive." 

"  You  know  I  could  not  think  that." 

"I  shall  believe  you  do  unless  you  are  frank  !  Come  ; 
I  am  a  sort  of  grave  elder  sister  ;  this  is  just  the  place  for 
a  confession.  Don't  make  me  afraid  you  have  ceased  to 
like  me  :  you  used  to  tell  me  everything  ;  at  least  you  said 
you  did.  Don't  cast  me  off  because  you  are  not  a  boy  any 
longer." 

"  No,  no  !"  he  said,  in  a  rather  tremulous  voice.  "  I — I 
had  a  mind  to  tell  you  the  other  night  at  Lady  Harcourt's, 
only  it  seemed  so  silly." 

"Silly  to  have  faith  in  a  friend?  oh,  that  is  very 
wicked  !" 

"  To  trouble  you  with  my  nonsense,  of  course  I  mean." 

"  Nothing  that  troubles  a  person  I  like  can  seem  non- 
sense," Violet  answered.  "  You  ^know  me  well  enough,  I 
hope,  to  be  certain  of  that." 

"  Indeed  I  do  !"  he  exclaimed,  grasping  her  hand  with 
such  fervor  that  it  hurt  ;  his  blue  eyes  fixed  upon  her  in 
warm  friendship  and  admiration,  though  they  were  still 
misty  from  the  cloud  which  overshadowed  his  soul. 

"  Now  let  go  my  hand  ;  what  will  the  monks  think  if 
they  see  you  !  My  old  friend  (riuseppe  will  withdraw  the 
light  of  his  countenance,  certain  that  my  visit  was  only  an 
excuse  to  meet  a  young  man,"  said  she,  speaking  playfully, 
just  to  keep  him  from  ai^over-sirained  expression  of  feel- 


284  A    MORNING    HIDE. 

ing  which  he  might  afterwards  regret.  Her  varied  experi- 
ence in  playing  confidante  had  taught  her  that  if  people 
only  make  their  revelations  with  a  certain  degree  of  com- 
posure, they  are  not  half  so  much  disturbed  in  thinking  the 
matter  over  as  they  are  if  excitement  lias  led  them  into 
a  display  of  emotion,  such  as  a  man  in  his  cooler  moments 
terms  "  making  a  fool  of  himself,''  and  a  woman  styles 
"  doing  theatricals." 

They  walked  along  the  path  for  a  little  while  in  silence. 
A  sudden  light  broke  upon  Violet — she  knew  what  War- 
ner's trouble  was  !  How  did  it  happen  that  she  had  been 
so  blind  as  not  to  think  of  it  before?  Why,  he  had 
revealed  his  secret  that  first  day  they  met  in  the  gallery 
after  his  return  ;  revealed  it  each  time  he  glanced  towards 
Mary.  And  she,  Violet,  had  been  so  engrossed  with  watch- 
ing the  girl  and  Aylmer,  that  she  had  not  even  a  thought 
for  what  poor  Warner's  face  said,  though  in  this  rapid 
instant  of  recollection  its  expression  recurred  so  vividly 
that  she  could  feel  an  additional  sting  of  shame  at  having 
been  so  full  of  herself  and  her  miserable  weaknesses  that 
the  truth,  patent  as  it  was,  had  escaped  her.  This  boy  had 
given  his  heart  to  Mary,  and  she  had  her  heart  too 
completely  occupied  with  other  dreams  to  heed  the  offering. 
Ah,  just  another  of  those  dismally-laughable  catastrophes 
which  Fate  in  her  hardness  likes  bringing  about !  It  was 
right  that  Mary  should  love  Aylmer  ;  she  was  worthy  his 
affection,  and,  rating  him  above  all  other  men,  Violet  felt 
it  fitting  that  he  should  have  the  first  chance  at  "the  best 
and  highest  of  Fortune's  favors.  Still  it  seemed  cruel 
of  Destiny  to  make  this  warm-hearted,  affectionate,  true- 
soul  ed  Warner  suffer. 

"  What  was  it  you  had  a  mind  to  speak  about  the  other 
night?"  she  asked.  "Tell  me,  Gilbert." 

It  was  difficult  to  resist  Violet  Cameron  when  she 
looked  and  spoke  as  she  did  now.  Fortunately,  in  her 
case,  Nature  had  not  bestowed,  as  she  so  often  does,  that 
gift  of  fascination  which  impels  men,  even  against  their 
judgments  and  wills,  to  yield  to  the  spell,  upon  a  woman 
who  employed  her  singular  influence  for  evil  instead  of 
good. 

"  Tell  me,"  she  repeated. 

"I  believe  I  meant  to  ask  you  something  instead,"  he 
said.  "  Still  it  seems  cowardly.  *I  ought  to  go  direct  and 


A    MORNING     RIDE.  285 

ask  her — bnt  it  is  so  difficult — for  her  sake,  I  mean.  If — 
if — oh,  yesterday  I  thought  I  had  been  answered — but  the 
more  I  reflect  the  less  sure  I  feel — and  to  go  away  without 
being  certain — perhaps,  when  too  late,  find  1  had  made  a 
mistake — oh  ! "  He  broke  off  suddenly,  then  ex- 
claimed :  "  What  an  idiot  I  am  !  I  have  just  been  think- 
ing alond  instead  of  uttering  a  single  intelligible  sentence." 

"I  think  I  understand,"  Violet  said,  in  a  low  tone. 

He  stopped  short  in  the  path  and  confronted  her  :  he 
was  pale  to  his  lips,  but  very  quiet. 

"  You  mean — that  I  am  too  late.  I  was  not  mistaken — 
I  am  too  late,"  he  said  slowly,  dropping  the  words  out  one 
by  one  with  painful  diotinctness. 

Left  to  himself  half  an  hour  longer,  his  meditations 
would  have  resulted  in  his  returning  home,  seeking  Mary, 
and  boldly  asking  her  the  real  significance  of  that  speech 
which  seemed  to  him  the  more  doubtful  the  longer  he  pon- 
dered upon  it.  The  matter  would  have  been  so  easily 
cleared  up — the  last  cloud  between  the  young  pair  ban- 
ished ;  and  now  Violet  thrust  herself  in  between  them  and 
the  truth. 

She  must  answer,  she  must  tell  him.  Oh,  every  species 
of  hard  duty  came  upon  her — but  she  must  speak  ! 

"I  will  not  deceive  you,"  she  said;  "it  could  do  no 
good.  Oh,  Gilbert,  I  must  not  even  tell  you  how  grieved 
I  am " 

lie  checked  her  by  a  quick  gesture. 

"  \res,  I  know,"  she  said  ;  "  it  would  only  sound  like 
mockery.  My  dear  Gilbert — ray  poor  boy  !" 

"  Too  late,"  he  replied.  "  I  was  sure  of  it  the  first  time 
1  saw  her  with  him — perfectly  sure  ;  but  I  tried  to  deceive 
myself — I  was  such  a  weak  fool  !" 

How  his  words  cut  across  Violet's  heart — like  the  echo 
of  her  own  personal  reflections  !  She  too  had  been  certain 
th.it  very  day — she  too  for  a  little  had  tried  to  deceive  her- 
self— weak  fool  that  she  was  ! 

"  I  don't  see  why  that  man  should  have  everything  in 
the  world,"  Gilbert  exclaimed  suddenly.  "  Ah  well  !  per- 
haps he  deserves  it  all — yes,  I  believe  he  does.  I  won't  bo 
contemptible  just  because  he  has  come  across  my  path — 
only  his  shadow  has  taken  away  all  my  sunlight.  Ah,  ray 
God,  how  I  loved  her  !" 


28(J  A     MORNING    RIDE. 

He  turned  abruptly  away  and  hurried  up  and  down  the 
garden -path. 

Violet  stood  looking  sadly  after  him.  His  pain,  though 
different  from  hers,  found  such  a  response  in  her  heart, 
through  her  great  sympathy  for  him,  that  it  seemed  fairly 
a  part  of  her  own  burden — a  new  bitterness  forced  upon 
her  soul. 

It  would  be  useless — nay,  wicked — to  follow  her  first 
impulse  to  tell  him  that  she  might  be  mistaken — that  he 
should  persevere.  Mary's  face  as  she  looked  that  night 
when  they  talked  in  the  moonlight  rose  before  her  ;  Mary's 
quivering  voice  rang  in  her  ear  !  She  had  made  no  mis- 
take. Better  this  poor  boy  should  know  the  truth  now — 
every  day  of  hope  against  hope,  of  attempted  self-decep- 
tion, would  only  increase  his  suffering.  Ah,  why  could  not 
the  girl  have  given  her  heart  to  this  young  fellow,  so  good, 
so  clever,  so  suited  to  her  in  every  way  ?  Then  Violet 
grew  ashamed  when  she  caught  herself  thinking  this, 
afraid  that  she  thought  it  because  such  consummation 
would  have  left  Aylmer  free — and  free  or  not,  it  was  all 
the  same  to  Violet !  Mary  had  nothing  to  do  with  her  de- 
cision ;  an  impossible  barrier  loomed  between  'her  and  him 
— her  age — her  age  ! 

Presently,  Warner  came  back  to  her  side  again. 

"  I  told  you  I  had  not  quite  decided  on  my  plans,"  he 
said.  "  My  mind  is  made  up  now  ;  I  am  going  to  Greece." 

"  But  not  at  once " 

"  I  start  for  Verona  to-night,"  he  interrupted.  "  The 
sooner  the  better  !  So  this  is  good-by — I  shall  not  see 
you  again." 

"  Gilbert !" 

"  Yes,  I  know — don't  try  to  tell  me — I  know  !  You  are 
very  kind  to  care.  God  bless  you — good-by  !" 

He  hui'ried  from  her  and  disappeared  before  she  could 
speak  again.  Violet  sat  down  and  meditated  gloomily 
enough  for  a  time  ;  then  she  too  went  her  way,  having  con- 
trived in  her  efforts  to  do  right  to  commit  as  much  mischief 
as  the  most  evil-disposed  person  living  could  well  have 
managed  to  crowd  into  one  morning. 


TWO     NOTES.  287 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

TWO   NOTES. 

S  Violet  was  dismounting  from  her  horse,  Ma- 
dame Magnoletti's  carriage  entered  the  court. 
"Have  I  really  caught  you?"  exclaimed 
Nina,  as  they  exchanged  greetings  at  the  foot 
of  the  staircase.  "  I  fully  expected  you  would 
be  out,  but  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  wait,  even  if  you 
did  not  come  home  until  dark.  I  should  be  pleased  to 
know  what  you  have  been  doing  with  yourself.  I  have  not 
seen  you  since  the  night  before  last,  and  you  promised  to 
come  to  me  yesterday." 

"  I  could  not " 

"  Now  don't  tell  fibs  for  civility's  sake  !  You  did  not 
want  to  come  !  You  were  in  one  of  your  unsociable 
moods,  when  you  did  not  wish  to  see  a  human  creature.  I 
know  you  !" 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  do  ;  it  saves  me  a  world  of  trouble," 
said  Violet,  teasingly. 

"  I  should  like  to  shake  you  !"  exclaimed  Nina,  and 
could  say  no  more,  because  they  were  within  reach  of 
Antonio's  ears,  as  he  stood  bowing  his  respectful  welcome 
on  the  threshold. 

"You  must  cither  come  into  my  dressing-room,  else 
excuse  me  while  I  take  off  my  habit,"  Violet  said. 

"  I'll  go  into  your  dressing-room.  If  I  don't  keep 
watch  you  are  quite  capable  of  disappearing  by  some  secret 
door,"  grumbled  Nina. 

"  Miss  Bronson  is  out " 

"  I  hate  Miss  Bronson  !" 

"My  pretty  little  cousin  is  at  the  studio " 

"  She  is  not  pretty,  and  I  hate  her  too  !" 

"  Else  I  would  leave  them  to  entertain  you  while  I 
change  my  dress,"  pursued  Violet. 

"  If  you  did  I'd  do  them  both  a  mischief  !"  cried 
Nina. 

They  entered  the  chamber  where  Clarice  was  waiting. 
Nina  flung  herself  into  a  low  arm-chair,  and  sat  silent. 
Violet  imitated  her  example,  glad  to  have  the  relief  of  even 


288  TWO     NOTES. 

a  few  moments'  taciturnity  on  the  marchesa's  part  ;  for, 
fond  of  her  as  she  was,  she  wished  that  caprice  had  led  the 
little  woman  anywhere  else  this  morning. 

"  I  wonder  you  did  not  keep  Clarice  all  day  !"  Nina 
exclaimed,  as  the  door  closed  behind  the  discreet  waiting- 
maid. 

"  If  you  display  too  much  ill-temper  I  can  call  her  back. 
Pray  what  ails  you,  that  you  should  turn  so  acid  ?  You 
are  like  a  bottle  of  small  beer  that  has  had  the  cork  left 
out." 

"  '  Flat,  stale,  and  unprofitable,'  "  quoted  Nina,  in  Eng- 
lish, and  began  to  laugh.  "  It  is  such  an  absurd  world  ; 
everything  goes  wrong — so  does  everybody — you  among 
the  number." 

"  Oh,  my  dear,  I  never  posed  as  a  model  for  correct 
conduct." 

"  We  have  made  a  blunder,  and  it  is  more  your  fault 
than  mine  ;  so  you  must  help  me  to  remedy  it,"  cried  Nina, 
irrelevantly. 

"  Sorry  I  should  in  any  way  have  added  to  your  faults, 
my  child  ;  they  are  numerous  enough  when  you  are  left  to 
yourself,"  said  Violet,  mockingly. 

"  Horrid  creature  !  What  a  pity  it  is  unladylike  to 
break  things  as  the  men  do  in  a  passion.  If  it  were  not, 
I'd  tumble  over  that  great  cinque-cento  vase  just  to  punish 
you." 

"  For  what  reason  ?  Tell  me  my  crime  before  you 
sacrifice  my  most  deliciously  ugly  ornament.  Only  look  at 
that  delightful  little  baby  in  swaddling  clothes  reaching 
with  precocious  eagerness  after  that  preposterous  apple, 
and  be  softened — towards  the  vase  at  least." 

"  It  is  improper  for  an  unmarried  woman  to  talk  about 
babies,"  said  Nina.  "  I  have  been  in  America,  so  I  know 
that." 

"Especially  when  one's  married  female  friends  give 
them  no  occasion,"  returned  Violet. 

"  Oh,  you  malicious  wretch  !  I  suppose  I  might  have 
a  baby  as  well  as  another,  if  I  saw  fit." 

"  Can't  say,  really  !  I  am  a  practical  woman,  and  never 
assert  a  thing  as  a  fact  until  I  have  proofs  before  me." 

Then  they  both  began  to  laugh,  though  Violet  felt  she 
would  rather  cry,  and  was  very  suspicious  that  Nina's 
mood  had  reached  a  pitch  as  unreasonable  as  her  own. 


TWO      NOTES.  289 

"  Don't  laugh  !"  the  visitor  exclaimed,  "  I  am  very- 
unhappy.  Everybody  disappoints  me — you  first " 

"  Leave  me  till  the  last.  Get  to  something  more  pure- 
ly personal,  and  which  will  offer  a  better  excuse  for  un- 
happiness.  What  has  that  tiresome  Carlo  been  doing  now 
to  vex  you  ?" 

"  Nothing — everything  !  My  dear,  I'm  not  such  a  fool 
as  to  care  about  his  endless  flirtations.  They  mean  as  little 
as  mine  do.  Carlo  loves  me  as  much  as  he  is  capable  of  lov- 
ing anybody — as  much  as  I  deserve  !  We  are  both  true 
specimens  of  the  half-made-up  people  of  this  blessed  nine- 
teenth century.  Sometimes  I  indulge  vague  visions  of 
being  something  better,  and  making  him  so — mere  visions. 
I'm  only  fit  for  the  life  I  lead,  and  I  like  it — I  shan't  deny 
that.  But  I  am  worried  just  now — I  tell  you  we  have 
blundered." 

"Now,  see  here,  Nina  !  I  am  not  in  a  mood  this  morn- 
ing to  be  found  fault  with  ;  I  should  quarrel  with  my 
guardian-angel  if  he  paid  me  a  visit  for  that  purpose. 
What  do  you  mean  by  our  blundering?  Carlo  has  been 
losing,  I  suppose  :  if  it  is  not  your  heart,  it  must  be  money 
— excuse  my  coarseness.  But  I  cannot  see  how  I  am  to 
blame.  At  least,  you  know  if  there  is  any  difficulty  in 
which  I  can  aid  you,  I  shall  be  ready,  though  I  own  frankly 
that  if  he  had  to  suffer  for  his  folly  I  should  not  pity  him." 

"  No,  no  !  Things  are  not  so  bad  as  that  yet,"  returned 
Nina  ;  "  though  heaven  only  knows  when  they  may  be  if 
we  cannot  foil  her  again.  Of  course  Giulia  da  Rimini  is  at 
the  bottom  of  my  trouble  !" 

"  Why,  Carlo  cares  no  more  about  her  than  I  do  for  my 
slipper — you  can't  think  it !  Giulia  might  as  well  try  to 
tempt  him  to  eat  a  ragout  rechauffe  as  bring  him  back  to  a 
flirtation  grown  cold.  Now,  don't  be  a  goose,  whatever 
you  are,  when  you  can  be  so  sensible  if  you  choose." 

"  She  knows  that ;  so  do  I.  She  means  to  revenge  her- 
self on  me — on  us — she  is  sure  you  would  be  hurt,  too,  for 
my  sake — by  tempting  him  to  play.  I  only  found  out  yes- 
terday what  is  going  on.  Gherardi  betrayed  it,  in  his 
blundering  fashion,  without  meaning  to.  And  she  can  do 
more  harm  than  ever  with  the  help  of  her  Greek,  whom  she 
has  forced  down  people's  throats  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet.  I  cannot  understand  why  Florentine  society  will 
submit  to  anything  that  woman  chooses  to  do.  It  knows 
13 


290  TWO     NOTES. 

her  thoroughly — says  of  her  what  she  deserves — but  she 
goes  audaciously  on,  and  rules  all  the  same." 

"  But  about  Carlo  ?" 

"  For  some  reason  the  Greek  hates  you  ;  I  have  discov- 
ered that.  I  suppose  you  have  snubbed  him." 

"  He  has  never  been  presented — never  shall  be  !" 

"  And  I  am  sure  Giulia  blames  me  for  everything  :  your 
not  visiting  her,  and  all." 

"  I'll  tell  her  my  reasons  if  you  like." 

"Don't,  in  the  name  of  all  the  saints  !  though,  bless  me, 
why  one  should  invoke  them  I  don't  know,  since  they  are 
always  blind  and  deaf  when  one  needs  their  aid." 

"  Come,  come,  don't  speak  disrespectfully  of  them  ! 
They  mayn't  be  much  good,  but  we  might  be  worse  off 
without  them  !  About  Giulia  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes  !  Only  fancy  !  yesterday,  speaking  of  your 
supper  last  week,  she  said  to  me,  with  that  dreadful  smile 
of  hers,  '  I  see  Miss  Cameron  has  forgotten  me  this  winter. 
I  have  a  better  memory  for  my  friends.  I  don't  forget  her, 
any  more  than  I  could  you,  my  darling  little  Nina.'  A 
threat  for  both  of  us.  Wait  !  I  know  you  don't  care,  but 
I  do.  She  can't  attract  Carlo  by  her  smiles,  but  she  can  by 
cards.  Oh,  they've  organized  a  club  !  It  meets  two  nights 
a  week  at  her  house — just  the  worst  of  the  lot — and  Carlo 
goes  ;  Gherardi  told  me  so.  And  she  and  the  Greek  cheat ; 
I'll  stake  my  life  on  it  !" 

"That  would  do  no  good,  unless  you  could  prove  it." 

"  Prove  it !"  broke  in  Nina.  "  How  can  I,  when  you 
will  not  help  ?" 

"  Oh,  Nina,"  said  Violet,  thoroughly  exasperated  by 
these  incoherent  attempts  at  an  explanation  which  only 
rendered  her  meaning  the  more  confused,  "  if  you  can't 
talk  intelligibly  do  let  me  alone." 

For  the  first  time  in  all  these  years  of  warm  friendship, 
the  pair  were  on  the  brink  of  a  quarrel — over  nothing,  too  ; 
for  that  very  reason  likely  to  be  the  more  disastrous  if  it 
came.  Without  being  aware  of  the  fact,  both  were  in  a 
state  of  such  intense  nervous  excitement,  that  for  the 
moment  a  duel  of  words,  which  must  leave  wounds  diih'cult, 
to  heal,  would  have  been  more  in  unison  with  their  feelings 
than  any  rational  attempt  to  come  to  a  clear  comprehension 
of  matters. 

Nina  rose,  gathered  her  wraps  about  her,  and  said  :    "  I 


TWO     NOTES.  291 

will  leave  you  alone  ;  I'll  never  trouble  you  again  either 
about  any  affairs  of  mine — you  may  be  sure  of  that." 

Violet  was  in  a  mood  so  perverse  that  she  might  abso- 
lutely have  let  her  go  in  silence  had  she  not  caught  sight  in 
a  mirror  of  the  face  Nina  kept  so  resolutely  turned  away. 
The  tears  were  streaming  down  the  little  woman's  cheeks  : 
her  pretty  mouth  quivering  like  a  hurt  child's  in  her  efforts 
to  repress  an  audible  sob. 

Violet  started  up,  hurried  forward  a  few  steps,  and 
flung  her  arms  round  her  friend's  waist. 

"  I  do  think  we  are  both  out  of  our  senses  !"  cried  she  ; 
"  and  I  am  more  to  blame  than  you.  I  don't  know  what 
ails  me  ;  I  believe  I  am  possessed,  like  those  unfortunates 
in  old  days — not  by  one  demon  only,  but  at  least  a  score. 
Sit  down,  you  poor  darling,  and  try  to  tell  me.  I'll  do 
whatever  you  want  ;  I  promise  that  in  advance." 

"  It  was  all  my  fault,"  returned  Nina,  soothed  and 
penitent  ;  "I  dare  say  I  did  not  in  the  least  explain." 

"  Well,  my  dear,  I  must  admit  that  your  explanation 
failed  in  lucidity  ;  still  that  was  no  excuse  for  ray  being  so 
impatient.  Come,  commence  all  over  again  ;  I'll  be  patient 
enough  this  time,  to  atone  for  my  rudeness." 

"  Oh,  rude  you  could  not  be  !" 

"And  nothing  could  really  interfere  with  our  love  for 
each  other,"  said  Violet,  kissing  her,  and  drawing  her 
towards  a  sofa.  "Now  sit  down,  and  I'll  sit  by  you." 

"  How  absurd  that  we  should  have  come  near  a  quarrel  !" 
cried  Nina,  beginning,  with  her  usual  inconsequence,  to 
laugh,  while  the  tears  still  stood  on  her  cheeks.  "  The  first 
time  such  a  thing  ever  happened  to  us." 

"A  warning  !  In  friendship  as  in  other  things,  ce  rfest 
que  le  premier  pas  qui  co&te." 

"Bah!  I  don't  believe  in  proverbs;  they  wouldn't  be 
repeated  so  often  if  they  had  any  truth  in  them,"  said  Nina, 
her  good-humor  so  fully  restored  that  her  spirits  began  to 
rise,  and  she  could  snatch  hastily  at  more  cheerful  views  of 
life. 

"  Don't  stop  to  be  either  witty  or  misanthropic,  else  we 
may  quarrel  yet,"  returned  Violet.  "  Let  us  get  at  an  un- 
derstanding !" 

"  I  don't  in  the  least  know  where  I  was — you  put  me 
out  completely  !"  said  Nina,  with  another  baby  moue,  and  a 
sudden  disposition  to  have  her  cry  out  after  all. 


292  TWO     NOTES. 

Violet  felt  that  a  fit  of  weeping  on  her  friend's  part 
would  completely  upset  her  resolve  to  be  penitent  and  pa- 
tient, so  she  hastened  to  fling  Giulia  da  Rimini's  name  into 
the  conversation,  in  the  hope  that  it  would  .move  Nina  to 
anger  sufficient  to  check  her  lachrymose  tendencies — a 
weakness  which  it  must  be  said  the  little  woman  seldom 
exhibited  for  the  benefit  of  any  looker-on,  even  Violet — 
never  for  Carlo's  ;  she  was  much  too  wise,  even  in  her 
dreariest  moments,  to  render  any  matrimonial  crisis  more 
desperate  by  such  show  of  feminine  feebleness. 

"I  don't  remember  what  I  was  saying,"  continued 
Nina. 

"  You  were  freely  slandering  the  Rimini  and  her  Athe- 
nian ;  accusing  them  of  being  Greeks  in  the  modern  slang 
acceptation  of  the  term,"  replied  Violet. 

"And  it  is  true  !"  exclaimed  Nina.  "I  have  not  the 
slightest  reason  to  think  so,  but  I  know  it  is  true." 

"And  I  am  quite  ready  to  put  implicit  faith  in  your  in- 
tuitions," said  Violet,  "but  what  can  I  do?" 

"Ah,  just  the  thing  you  refuse — to  let  me  go  to  her 
house  the  nights  their  odious  club  meet  !" 

"  Now,  Nina,  with  the  best  intentions  on  my  part,  that 
assertion  is  a  little  too  strong  for  endurance  !  I  never  tried 
to  hinder  you  or  anybody  else  from  visiting  the  woman. 
I  don't  go  to  see  her,  and  I  don't  invite  her,  but " 

"  Ah,  that's  just  it,"  interrupted  Nina,  triumphantly  ; 
"  now  we  come  to  the  gist  of  the  matter  at  once  !  I  tell 
you  they  cheat ;  I  could  watch  if  I  were  there — but  she 
won't  have  me  without  you,  and  you  won't  go !" 

"  I  can  scarcely  suppose  that  her  insolence  would  carry 
her  to  that  pitch — why,  Carlo  would  never  stand  it." 

"  Oh,  Mary,  Catherine,  Barbara,  and  all  the  rest  !" 
groaned  Nina,  giving  herself  a  petulant  shake.  "You 
don't  half  fathom  Giulia  yet,  clever  as  you  are  !  My  dear, 
she  did  it  so  neatly — it  was  like  a  bit  out  of  a  play — and 
made  Carlo  side  with  her  and  be  so  stupid  that  he  didn't 
even  see  her  drift !  Though  I  need  not  blame  him,  poor 
fellow,  since  he  is  only  a  man,  when  you,  the  brightest 
woman  I  ever  knew,  are  just  as  blind  !" 

"More  digressions!"  said  Violet,  struggling  hard  to 
retain  possession  of  her  recently-recovered  patience.  But 
Nina's  sudden  gesture,  as  if  imploring  those  lately- 
appealed-to  saints  to  aid  in  bearing  her  friend's  unparal- 


TWO     NOTES.  293 

leled  obtuseness,  restored  Violet's  determination,  though 
the  gesture  might  have  failed  in  its  effect  had  it  not  been 
accompanied  by  that  previous  threatening  tremulousness 
about  the  marchesa's  pretty  mouth.  "  Now,  how  did  Giulia 
hinder  you  from  seeing  what  goes  on  ?" 

"  Easily  enough  !  She  said,  '  So  sorry  no  women  are 
admitted  ;  that  was  the  bargain  those  dreadful  men  insisted 
on  !  I  cannot  make  an  exception  in  your  favor,  because 
that  would  be  insulting — would  look  as  if  I  supposed  you 
wanted  to  watch  your  husband  !'  Then  Carlo  burst  out 
laughing,  and  ran  off — (we  had  all  met  by  accident  at  Lady 
Harcourt's)." 

"  Well  ?" 

"  Then  Giulia  said  :  '  If  our  fascinating  Miss  Cameron 
had  not  given  me  the  cold  shoulder  I  could  have  broken 
my  word  and  introduced  her — she  might  have  brought  you 
without  leave  as  her  chaperon  !'  And  she  looked  me  full 
in  the  eyes  with  that  awful  smile.  She  knew  she  had  set- 
tled me — she  was  certain  that  you  would  not  set  foot 
within  her  doors." 

"  Was  she  !"  cried  Violet.  "  My  dear,  even  in  the 
interests  of  your  Carlo  I  can't  turn  my  salons  into  gam- 
bling-rooms. 

"  No  ;  but  if  you  would  only  go  to  see  her." 

"  She  would  rather  I  invited  her  to  my  house.  Let  me 
think — hadn't  I  promised  you  and  Lady  Harcourt  and 
Sabakine  that  you  might  come  here  to-night  after  the 
opera  ?" 

"  Certainly,  and  we  mean  to  keep  you  to  your  word." 

"  Good  !  And  you  think  the  duchess  would  like  to 
come  ?" 

"  My  dear,  she  knows  as  well  as  we,  ce  n'est  que  le  pre- 
mier pas  (jtti  cotite  in  all  things  !  She  is  afraid  of  you.  If 
yon  set  the  example  of  cutting  her,  somebody  may  follow 
suit — then  she  is  lost." 

"  Heaven  forbid  that  I  should  aid  Fate  and  the  duchess's 
instincts  in  the  work  they  are  sure  to  bring  about,"  said 
Violet.  She  sat  down  at  her  writing-table  and  indited  a 
note,  which  Nina  read  over  her  shoulder.  "  Beautiful  ! 
Read  it  aloud — let  us  be  sure  it  is  perfect,"  cried  the  mar- 
chesa. 

"  She  has  the  audacity  to  doubt,"  said  Violet,  laughing. 


294  TWO     NOTES. 

11  Only  listen — you  have  no  idea  how  well  it  sounds," 
returned  Nina,  and  began  reading  the  page  aloud  : 

"  '  It  seems  an  age  since  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  re- 
ceiving Madame  da  Rimini  ;  yet  last  winter  she  was  good 
enough  to  accord  me  that  favor  now  and  then,  and  I  weakly 
thought  the  force  of  habit  might  bring  her  occasionally  this 
season  also. 

"  '  Better  to  know  one's  fate,  however  disappointing. 
Half-a-dozen  friends  have  promised  to  come  to  me  to-night 
after  the  opera — will  the  duchess  be  so  hard-hearted  as  to 
make  me  admit  that  even  in  the  case  of  a  carefully-arranged 
impromptu  gathering  I  am  unable  to  afford  them  the  hap- 
piness of  meeting  her  ?'  ': 

"  I  should  as  soon  have  expected  to  be  guillotined  as 
live  to  write  a  billet  like  that  to  Giulia  da  Rimini !"  Violet 
exclaimed,  involuntarily  trying  to  seize  the  epistle. 

"  Never  repent  a  good  action,"  rejoined  Nina,  folding 
the  sheet  and  putting  it  in  an  envelope.  "Now  the  address, 
and  the  thing  is  done.  Ge  n'est  que — I  spare  you  the 
rest." 

"  Besides,  I  never  did  invite  her,  except  to  large  parties." 

"  She  will  be  all  the  more  flattered  by  your  appearing  to 
think  she  used  to  come  when  you  were  en  petit  comite,"  said 
Nina,  holding  fast  to  one  corner  of  the  letter  while  Violet 
wrote  the  superscription,  snatching  it  away  as  soon  as  fin- 
ished, and  hastily  ringing  the  bell,  afraid  that  if  given  time 
to  reflect,  Miss  Cameron  might  even  yet  refuse  to  appease 
the  angry  woman.  The  note  safe  in  Antonio's  keeping, 
and  gone  beyond  recall,  the  little  lady  fully  recovered  her 
spirits.  "  You  are  a  darling  !"  she  cried.  "  We  shall  have 
an  answer  presently.  The  creature  is  sure  to  be  at  home 
at  this  hour." 

"  She  will  know  it  is  your  doing." 

"  If  she  does,  she  won't  allow  herself  to  believe  it — 
human  vanity  will  prevent  that.  She  will  decide  that  you 
found  you  had  made  a  mistake — discovered  she  was  not  a 
person  to  treat  cavalierly." 

"  At  all  events,  it  is  done.  Don't  say  another  word 
about  her.  Let  me  forget  for  a  little  that  she  exists,"  said 
Violet,  feeling  that  she  had  been  weak  to  allow  even  Nina's 
troubles  to  force  her  into  an  action  so  contrary  to  her  sense 
of  dignity  and  right. 

For  half  an  hour  the  marchesa  talked  incessantly  in  her 


TWO     NOTES.  295 

brightest  strain,  and  Violet  made  a  decent  pretense  of 
listening,  laughing,  and  replying,  though  all  the  while  re- 
flecting in  a  misanthropic  fashion  that  friendship,  like 
everything  else  in  this  hard  old  world,  was  a  plant  which 
produced  more  thorns  than  roses. 

At  length  Antonio's  modest  tap  sounded  on  the  door, 
and  in  her  eagerness  Nina  forgot  she  was  not  in  her  own 
house,  and  cried  out  : 

"  Come  in— do  !"  Then,  "  Oh,  Violet,  I  beg  your 
pardon  !" 

"  No  need,"  replied  Miss  Cameron  ;  "  it  is  your  errand 
— quite  right  you  should  conduct  matters." 

The  Swiss  entered,  bringing  the  expected  missive  on  a 
salver,  which  he  presented  to  his  mistress. 

"  Give  it  to  Madame  la  Marquise,"  said  Violet,  unable 
to  bring  herself  to  touch  the  perfumed  billet. 

Antonio  obeyed  and  retired,  wondering  a  little  at  the 
oddities  of  the  female  sex.  Why  should  his  lady  wish  an 
epistle  bearing  her  address  handed  over  to  another  ? 

"  Shall  I  read  it  ?"  Nina  asked. 

"  I  have  a  suspicion  that  if  you  do  not  it  will  remain 
unread,"  Violet  replied,  laughing,  but  quite  in  earnest. 

"Ugh,  that  odious  perfume  !"  shivered  Nina,  breaking 
the  seal.  She  unfolded  the  sheet,  and  began,  "  '  My  beauti- 
ful queen  of  flowers'" — stopped,  glanced  down  the  page, 
and  cried  out,  "  Heavens,  I  believe  she  has  the  best  of  it !" 

"  Nina !"  exclaimed  Violet,  in  anger  and  dismay ; 
"  read  it — read  !" 

"  Just  listen  !     <  Beautiful '  " 

"  Skip  that,"  interrupted  Violet. 

"  Oh  yes — 'flowers!'  Hear  this  :  'So  happy  to  learn 
that  invitations  to  the  Palazzo  Amaldi  are,  like  other  blos- 
soms of  paradise,  perennial.  I  knew  its  mistress  was  in  as 
perfect  bloom  as  ever,  but  I  thought  the  charming  informal 
reunions  had  failed  to  put  out  a  second  crop.  I  shall  be 
delighted  to  renew  our  pleasant  evenings.  Unfortunately, 
J  had  invited  to  dinner  a  friend  of  my  dear  husband's,  to 
whom  the  duke  has  begged  me  to  show  every  attention  ; 
so  I  must  trespass  on  your  good-nature  so  far  as  to  bring 
him,  lest  in  my  desire  to  accede  to  your  kind  wishes  I 
should  be  guilty  of  a  rudeness  to  Signor  Dimetri.' >: 

"  No — I'll  not  endure  that,"  cried  Violet ;  "  not  even 
for  you,  Nina — I  will  not !  That  man  shall  never  cross 


296  TWO     NOTES. 

my  threshold.     I  have  avoided  having  him  presented.     I 
will  not  receive  him  !" 

"  He  was  there — he  dictated  it.  I  am  sure  he  did.  She 
never  would  have  had  the  wit,"  groaned  Nina,  underrating, 
as  she  had  always  done,  the  duchess's  abilities. 

"  Then  his  wit  fails,"  said  Violet.  "  I  shall  write  and 
tell  her  it  is  one  of  my  nights  for  not  receiving  strangers." 

"  Oh,  my  dear  !" 

"  Not  a  word — it  is  useless.  Come,  don't  be  afraid  of 
the  odious  creature.  We  will  defeat  her  yet." 

"Oh  !  but  this  will  make  her  furious  !  Don't  write  yet. 
Let  me  think  !"  cried  Nina,  beginning  to  pace  the  room,  as 
Violet  seated  herself  determinedly  at  her  desk. 

"Think;  but  the  fact  remains!  Giulia  da  Rimini 
shall  not  force  that  adventurer  on  me  !"  said  Violet,  firmly. 

Nina  made  no  answer.  Her  course  had  brought  her 
near  a  window,  which  commanded  the  court ;  she  saw  Lau- 
rence Aylmer  entering. 

"I  have  it!"  she  exclaimed.  "Leave  it  to  me;  she 
shall  not  bring  the  man  ;  I  can  hinder  her — only  promise 
not  to  write !" 

"  I  can't  trust  to  any  chance,  Nina.  There  must  be  no 
loophole  left — no  doubt." 

"  You  shall  have  a  letter  from  her  in  less  than  an  hour, 
saying  that  she  has  decided  it  was  better  to  send  an  apology 
to  Signer  Dimeti'i.  Good-bye — I  can't  wait — only  trust 
me.  I  will  arrange  this  matter  to  your  complete  satisfac- 
tion— you'll  wait  ?" 

"  Of  course  ;  be  very  careful  !" 

"  A  whole  flock  of  doves  and  an  entire  family  of  ser- 
pents combined,"  returned  Nina,  and  ran  gayly  oat  of  the 
room. 


AN   UNPLEASANT    MISSION.  297 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

AN  UNPLEASANT  MISSION. 

HEN  the  marchesa  reached  the  staircase,  as  she 
had  anticipated,  she  saw  Laurence  Aylmer  com- 
ing up. 

"  llis  unpardonable  masculine  recklessness 
shall  be  made  of  a  little  use,"  thought  Nina. 
"  I  would  not  have  believed  he  could  be  goose  enough  to 
risk  offending  Violet  by  dangling  about  that  painted 
sepulcher,  but  since  he  has  done  it,  and  fascinated  Giulia 
by  his  dreamy  eyes  and  his  poetical  talk,  I'll  employ  her 
weakness  to  aid  in  the  plot  against  herself  !  Oh,  will  she 
never  get  to  the"end  of  her  invention — never  leave  me  any 
peace  !  Only  let  me  save  Carlo  from  her  talons  this  time, 
and  I  beKeve  I  shall  have  done  with  her — it  is  only  the  play 
that  attracts  him.  If  I  can  make  her  admit  me  those 
nights,  at  least  my  presence  will  be  a  little  restraint,  even  if 
I  don't  succeed  in  convincing  him  of  her  real  motives." 

Aylraer  interrupted  her  reflections  by  calling  merrily  : 

"  It  is  quite  natural  that  angelic  visitants  should  appear 
to  one  from  above  !" 

"Equally  so  that  demons  should  appear  from  below," 
retorted  she. 

He  hurried  on  to  meet  her,  and  they  shook  hands  cor- 
dially. 

"  I  had  been  wishing  to  see  you,"  said  he. 

"A  pity  that  doing  so  did  not  rank  among  forbidden 
things,  then  you  would  not  have  restrained  the  wish  so 
carefully,  and  I  might  have  the  pleasure  of  receiving  an 
occasional  visit  ;  as  it  is,  I  never  set  eyes  on  you  unless  I 
deliberately  hunt  you  up  in  other  people's  houses." 

"  I  have  been  twice  at  your  house  without  finding  you. 
I  believe  you  are  never  at  home  !" 

"  Didn't  I  say  I  had  to  go  abroad  in  search  of  you  ?" 

"Very  likely,  when  you  run  away  from  a  place  just  as 
I  enter  !" 

"  You  can't  enter  here,"  she  replied,  with  her  most  in- 
genuous smile.  "Let  me  spare  you  a  useless  mountain 
climb  ;  Miss  Cameron  cannot  and  will  not  receive  you." 

13* 


298  AN    UNPLEASANT    MISSION. 

"  The  porter  said  she  was  at  home,"  rejoined  he,  his 
keen  disappointment  at  her  information  so  plainly  visible 
in  his  face  that  Nina  felt  inclined  to  forgive  him  the  sin  of 
yielding  a  little  to  the  duchess's  spells. 

"Alter  all,"  she  thought,  "as  Sabakine  says,  the  poor 
fellow  really  cannot  imitate  Joseph  beyond  certain  limits." 

"  You  merely  want  to  tease  me,"  he  continued.  "The 
porter  would  not  make  the  mistake " 

"  He  could  not  help  making  mistakes,  you  mean,  since 
he  is  a  man,"  she  interrupted.  "  Miss  Cameron  is  ill — 
absent — dead  !  Don't  be  too  wretched,  however  ;  she  will 
return  to  life  this  evening,  after  the  opera,  and  you  are  in- 
vited to  join  a  few  worthless  people  like  yourself  in  her 
abode  of  all  delights.  Does  that  content  you?" 

"  Perfectly,  if " 

"  I  have  warrant  for  saying  so  ?  I  ought  to  punish 
your  impertinent  doubts  by  not  allowing  you  to  come." 

"Since  I  did  not  dream  of  expressing  any.  I  only 
meant " 

"  Something  you  ought  not  to  mean,  no  doubt.  But  be 
easy  in  your  mind  ;  I  am  to  bring  you.  Don't  fail  to  ap- 
pear in  my  box  before  the  end  of  the  fourth  act — nobody 
ever  stops  for  the  fifth — why  did  Groselli  write  it  ?" 

"  From  that  unfortunate  masculine  proneness  to  blun- 
ders upon  which  you  are  always  so  severe." 

"  Very  likely.  But  my  wonder  causes  me  to  forget 
"business.  You  have  something  to  do." 

"  It  must  be  something  pleasant,  since  the  news  comes 
from  you." 

"  More  than  pleasant.  I  am  surprised  you  do  not  divine 
at  once." 

"  When  you  are  so  well  acquainted  with  my  hopeless 
stupidity  ?  It  would  be  useless  for  me  to  waste  your  time 
in  guesses.  Pray  tell  me  what  it  is." 

"  You  are  going  with  me  to  visit  the  Duchess  da 
Rimini." 

"  Oh  !"  he  exclaimed,  the  little  monosyllable  expressing 
such  a  depth  of  weariness  and  annoyance  that  Nina  rushed 
at  the  conviction  that  her  fears  for  him  had  been  unneces- 
sary :  he  never  would  become  Giulia's  willing  or  passive 
victim. 

"  You  are  quite  confounded  by  the  thought  of  so  much 
happiness,"  said  she,  with  a  laugh  of  genuine  enjoyment ; 


AN    UNPLEASANT    MISSION.  299 

"  but  try  and  merit  the  boon,  for  it  is  to  be  yours.  Now, 
listen  to  me.  You  are  to  put  on  all  your  fascinations  ; 
have  eyes  solely  for  her.  If  any  other  men  are  there,  I  will 
attend  to  them." 

"  And  the  aim  of  this " 

"Wait  !  You  will  ask  the  duchess  if  you  are  to  have 
the  bliss  of  meeting  her  to-night  at  Miss  Cameron's." 

"  A  sure  means  of  putting  her  in  a  frightful  rage, 
because  she  will  be  obliged  to  answer  no." 

"  Which  will  delight  her,  because  she  can  answer  yes  !" 

"  Why,  I  thought— I  fancied " 

"  No  matter  what  ;  your  part  is  to  obey,  not  question. 
Now  pay  strict  attention,  and  try  to  learn  your  lesson  cor- 
rectly. You  will  entrap  her  into  admitting  that  she  means 
to  bring  her  Greek  with  her " 

"I  really  cannot  be  silent!  Miss  Cameron  will  not 
receive  the  fellow,  of  that  I  am  certain." 

"  Oh,  second  Solon,  Daniel,  or  whatever  !  Now  will 
you  gratify  me  and — Violet  ?" 

"  Of  course  !"  he  exclaimed,  with  the  prompt  acquies- 
cence which  she  had  been  confident  her  unwarranted  drag- 
ging Miss  Cameron  into  her  plot  would  occasion.  "  I  will 
do  anything  you  require." 

"  Then  you  will  open  your  fullest  batteries  on  the 
duchess  ;  you  will  be  tender  and  exigeant,  impatient  and 
romantic — rise  to  the  heights  of  melodrama,  if  necessary — 
but  you  will  declare  your  determination  not  to  appear  at 
the  Palazzo  Amaldi  if  Dimetri  accompanies  her  adored,  be- 
witching self." 

"  As  if  such  behavior  would  have  any  effect." 

"  You  will  make  her  promise  not  to  bring  him,"  pur- 
sued Nina,  regardless  of  his  expostulation.  "  That  is  the 
mission  confided  to  you — to  persuade  the  duchess  volun- 
tarily to  withdraw  her  proposal  of  presenting  him,  and  so 
avoid  the  necessity  of  a  refusal  on  Miss  Cameron's  part." 

"  But  mavchesa,  marchesa  !" 

"One  would  think  you  were  summoning  'spirits  from 
the  vasty  deep  !' '' 

"  I  should  need  their  aid  to  succeed  in " 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself  to  finish  !  You  and  I  both 
know  that  you  can  manage  the  affair  without  the  slightest 
assistance  or  difficulty." 


300  AN    UNPLEASANT    MISSION. 

"  Indeed,  you  sadly  overrate  my  abilities,  and  I  have  no 
influence  which  could  induce  the  lady " 

"Oh,  don't  waste  precious  time  in  fibs  so  utterly 
useless  !  Tell  me  at  once  if  you  mean  to  do  what  I — what 
we  wish  !" 

It  was  difficult  to  refuse  her  request,  yet  he  foresaw  that 
to  grant  it  would  make  another  bond  between  himself  and 
the  duchess.  He  must  pay  the  penalty  of  a  demand  which 
only  intimate  friendship  could  warrant,  by  conduct  in 
accordance  with  the  rules  governing  that  relation.  The 
lady  would  be  able  more  freely  than  ever  to  unfold  her 
woes  and  insist  upon  sympathy. 

"  I  can  only  do  my  best  ;  you  must  riot  blame  me  if  I 
fail,"  he  said,  in  a  rather  annoyed  tone. 

"  Don't  put  me  out  of  temper  by  such  affected 
modesty." 

"  And  the  reasons  seem " 

"  I  believe  a  man  would  stop  to  argue  about  reasons 
before  trying  to  save  our  lives,  if  we  were  all  shut  up  in  a 
burning  house  !"  cried  Nina  sharply,  his  hesitation  rousing 
a  feverish  impatience  in  her  mind. 

Aylmer  glanced  at  her,  surprised  by  the  tone  of  her 
voice  ;  the  signs  of  real  trouble  which  he  read  in  her  face 
checked  any  further  efforts  to  avoid  the  unpleasant  task  set 
him. 

"  I  will  do  whatever  you  wish,"  he  said.  "I  only  hope 
the  duchess  will " 

"  Consent  to  anything  you  ask.  Now  take  me  down 
stairs,  and  talk  of  something  else  during  our  drive.  Of 
course  Giulia  is  a  delightful  subject  for  conversation,  but 
mine  is  a  frivolous  mind,  and  it  fatigues  me  to  contemplate 
her  virtues  long  at  a  time." 

She  talked  gayly  upon  any  trivial  matter  that  suggested 
itself,  and  Aylmer  seconded  her  to  the  best  of  his  ability, 
though  his  thoughts  were  sorely  disturbed  by  the  duty 
which  awaited  him.  He  wished  that  at  least  he  might  tell 
Nina  exactly  how  his  apparent  intimacy  with  Madame 
da  Rimini  had  come  about,  but  that  of  course  was  impos- 
sible ;  not  only  should  he  appear  a  conceited  fop,  but  it 
would  be  positively  dishonorable  to  confess  that  the  lady  had 
elected  him  the  confidant  of  her  troubles,  much  against  his 
own  inclinations,  which  rebelled  more  and  more  as  her  ex- 
actions increased — and  they  did  increase  so  rapidly.  Why, 


AN    UNPLEASANT    MISSION.  301 

only  the  day  before  he  had  been  forced  to  go  to  her  house, 
in  answer  to  an  appealing  summons,  and  she  had  detained 
him  two  mortal  hours,  and  prevented  any  possibility  of  his 
visiting  Violet. 

Could  he  have  known  the  displeasure  and  vague  doubts 
roused  in  Miss  Cameron's  mind  by  seeing  him  enter  the 
duchess's  doors,  his  annoyance  would  have  been  even  greater 
than  it  was  now. 

Madame  da  Rimini  received  Nina  with  her  customary 
warmth  and  exaggerated  expressions  of  delight. 

"My  dearest,  darling  child  !  How  good  of  you  to 
come  ;  I  was  thinking  of  you  a  little  while  ago — longing  to 
see  you." 

"It  was  a  mutual  longing,  you  perceive,"  returned  the 
Russian,  allowing  herself  to  be  embraced  with  a  composure 
and  sweetness  as  perfect  as  if  the  very  touch  of  her  enemy's 
hand  did  not  give  her  a  thrill  of  disgust. 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Aylmer,"  continued  the  duchess, 
turning  towards  him  with  that  melancholy  smile  and  air  of 
repressed  sorrow  which  she  often  displayed  for  his  benefit. 

"  I  overtook  this  graceless  wretch  at  the  corner  of  the 
street ;  no  doubt  on  his  way  here,"  said  Nina.  "  I  made 
him  get  into  the  carriage  just  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
uttering  desperate  reproaches — he  has  not  been  near  me  in 
an  age." 

Aylmer  found  it  difficult  to  hide  the  irritation  caused  by 
Nina's  superfluous  fib. 

"As  I  had  done  myself  the  honor  of  calling  yesterday," 
he  said,  "  I  should  owe  an  apology,  did  not  the  responsi- 
bility of  this  morning's  appearance  rest  solely  with  Madame 
Magnoletti." 

"  One's  friends  deserve  thanks  for  frequent  visits,"  the 
duchess  answered. 

"  But  you  cannot  flatter  his  vanity  as  you  did  mine,  by 
declaring  that  you  had  been  thinking  of  him,"  said  Nina. 

"  Oh  yes,  I  may,"  Giulia  replied.  "  I  made  Mr.  Ayl- 
mer's  acquaintance  through  you,  so  it  is  natural  I  should 
sometimes  think  of  him  when  I  do  of  you  ;  and  you  know, 
I  am  sure,  how  often  that  is." 

"  Then  I  owe  to  you  a  double  debt  of  gratitude,"  said 
Aylmer ;  "  even  to  give  me  a  thought  would  be  more  than 
amiable,  but  to  connect  me  in  your  mind  with  a  friend 


302  AN    UNPLEASANT    MISSION. 

whom  you  value  so  much  as  the  marchesa  is  the  height  of 
kindness." 

"I  cannot  help  being  enthusiastic  over  the  people  I 
like — it  is  part  of  my  impulsive  nature,"  sighed  the 
duchess. 

She  fondled  Nina's  hand  again,  and  gave  Aylrner  a 
tender  glance,  and  Nina  pressed  the  taper  fingers  which 
held  hers,  and  thought  : 

"  Impulsive  !  Oh,  you  boa-constrictor  !  I  must  repeat 
that  to  Sabakine — how  he  will  enjoy  it." 

And  Giulia  was  thinking  : 

"  I  have  frightened  you  out  of  your  little  insolent  ways, 
you  small  cat — forced  your  icicle  of  a  Miss  Cameron  into 
civility  too  for  your  sake — oh,  I've  not  done  with  you  yet 
— this  is  only  the  beginning." 

And  Aylmer  reflected  in  this  fashion  : 

"  I  wonder  which  of  us  three  ought  to  receive  the  palm 
for  lying?  But  my  masculine  efforts  look  very  poor  beside 
theirs — how  easily  they  do  it." 

A  couple  of  gentlemen  were  announced,  and  after  a  few 
moments  of  general  conversation,  Nina  took  possession  of 
the  pair,  and  left  Aylmer  to  entertain  the  hostess,  saying 
presently  : 

"Giulia,  I  am  going  to  break  my  heart  by  making  sure 
that  your  orchids  are  finer  than  mine — Signor  Landini  vows 
they  are.  Please  come  with  us,  Signor  Generale,  and  be 
umpire,"  she  added,  addressing  the  elderly  military  man, 
whose  black  and  gold  uniform  gave  him  the  appeai*ance  of 
a  gigantic  wasp,  though  he  looked  too  mild  and  amiable  to 
sting  under  any  provocation  whatever. 

The  conservatory  opened  out  of  the  drawing-room,  and 
was  a  very  fine  one  ;  the  marchesa  prolonged  her  examina- 
tion of  the  plants  to  give  Aylmer  full  opportunity  to  enact 
his  little  comedy,  keeping  her  cavaliers  so  well  amused  by 
her  sprightly  sallies  that  they  had  no  leisure  to  be  remorse- 
ful over  their  lengthened  neglect  of  the  lady  they  had  come 
to  visit. 

The  duchess  afforded  Aylmer  an  opening  for  what  ho 
wanted  to  say — or  rather,  what  he  did  not  want  to,  and  was 
half  inclined  to  neglect,  in  spite  of  the  appealing  glance  the 
marchesa  had  cast  at  him  as  she  passed,  and  his  desire  to  do 
anything  that  Violet  asked. 


AN    UNPLEASANT    MISSION.  303 

"  Shall  I  see  you  at  Miss  Cameron's  to-night  ?"  Giulia 
inquired. 

"  Madame  Magnoletti  was  good  enough  to  say  she  ex- 
pected me  to  escort  her  there,"  lie  answered. 

"  Then  we  shall  meet.  I  did  not  mean  to  go  out  to- 
night— I  have  taken  a  violent  cold,  but  la  belle  Violette 
wrote  me  such  a  pressing  note  that  I  could  not  refuse." 

How  it  vexed  Aylmer  to  hear  her  speak  of  his  idol  in 
that  familiar  fashion — perfectly  unwarranted,  he  knew.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  wondering  how  best  he  could  plunge 
into  the  task  confided  to  him  ;  but  the  duchess  continued  : 

"  Besides,  I  have  promised  to  present  Signor  Dimetri  to 
her.  This  will  be  a  favorable  opportunity,  since  I  need  an 
escort  as  much  as  Nina." 

"  Ah,  what  an  unfortunate  wretch  I  am  not  to  be  able 
to  offer  my  services  !"  he  exclaimed,  having  the  grace  to 
feel  ashamed  of  the  falsehood  as  he  uttered  it. 

"  I  will  own  I  should  have  liked  it  better,"  she  replied  ; 
"though  it  is  saying  very  little  after  all,  since  you  know 
my  sentiments  towards  that  person." 

"  Then — excuse  me — but  I  wonder  at  your  afflicting 
yourself  unnecessarily,"  cried  he.  "  You  need  not  take 
the  man  unless  you  choose." 

The  duchess  sighed  deeply  and  shook  her  head. 

"  I  am  bound  in  the  toils,"  she  whispered  ;  "  I  cannot 
offend  him.  I  dare  not.  Oh,  remember  what  hangs  over 
me,  and  be  merciful  in  your  judgments  !" 

She  thought  Aylmer's  impatient  gesture  expressive  of 
anger  and  distress  at  the  painfulness  of  her  position  :  it 
was  only  a  means  of  relieving  his  annoyance  at  the  decep- 
tion circumstances  forced  him  to  practice. 

"  After  all,"  said  he,  "  I  fear  I  shall  not  have  the  pleas- 
ure of  seeing  you  to-night.  I  shall  be  best  off  at  home,  so 
I  will  stop  there." 

His  abrupt  tone  and  words  certainly  betrayed  pique  : 
the  idea  gratified  his  listener. 

"  What  has  caused  this  sudden  resolution  ?"  she  asked 
with  a  smile. 

"  I  think  you  must  know.  After  what  you  have  told 
me,  do  you  suppose  if — if  I  have  any  friendly  feeling  for 
you,  I  can  bear  to  see  that  man  in  your  society  ?" 

"  Ah,  my  friend — my  good,  generous  friend,"  she 
sighed. 


304  AN    UNPLEASANT    MISSION. 

11 1  have  never  asked  a  favor  of  you,"  he  hurried  on  ; 
"you  might  grant  me  one  so  slight.  Tell  him  it  is  impos- 
sible to  keep  your  promise  to-night  ;  that  you  had  for- 
gotten it  is  Thursday,  and  Miss  Cameron  only  receives 
intimate  friends — oh,  any  excuse,  but  don't  let  him  go." 

"Have  you  really  the  matter  so  much  at  heart?" 
demanded  she,  with  a  still  softer  smile. 

"  I  swear  I  have  !"  he  cried,  growing  energetic  from 
sheer  delight  at  being  able  to  say  something  literally  true. 
"  Uo  promise — do  !  Ah,  so  little  a  thing  as  that  you  might 
accord  !" 

"  Perhaps,"  she  said  ;  "  at  all  events  I  will  think 
about  it." 

Her  mind  Avas  already  made  up,  but  she  wanted 
to  hear  him  plead — see  him  grow  more  earnest  and  excited. 
In  reality,  she  had  not  yet  informed  the  Greek  of  what  she 
had  written  to  Miss  Cameron,  and  she  knew  that  she  could 
not  easily  persuade  him  to  go  ;  but  it  would  be  such  a 
crowning  insolence  in  her  triumph  over  this  hated  woman 
to  force  her  to  receive  the  man,  that  the  duchess  disliked 
to  relinquish  the  satisfaction. 

"If  there  is  any  doubt  I  must  stay  away,"  said  Aylmer. 
"  I  can't  meet  him  to-night — I  really  cannot  !  I — I  think  I 
will  bid  you  good-day,  duchess  !" 

"Why,  what  will  the  marchesa  think?" 

"  It  doesn't  matter — that  I  am  a  bear.  And  so  you 
refuse  me  ?  Well,  well,  of  course,  it  was  an  impertinence 
on  my  part — pray  forgive  it.  Be  sure  I  will  not  offend 
again  in  the  same  way." 

"Mauvaise  tete"  she  said,  but  her  eyes  spoke  a  lan- 
guage which  contradicted  her  playful  words.  "And  you 
really  care  ?" 

"Can  you  doubt  it  ?     You  do  not — you " 

"  Hush,  hush  !  here  they  come  !"  she  murmured  rapidly, 
as  the  voices  of  the  other  visitors  sounded  near  the  con- 
servatory doors,  and  she  felt  furious  at  their  inopportune 
return. 

"Do  I  go  or  not?"  Aylmer  asked,  relieved  by  the  inter- 
ruption. "  Ah,  I  thought  it  would  be  such  a  pleasant 
evening,  but  nothing  ever  happens  that  one  wishes  !" 

"  There  shall  for  once,"  the  duchess  said.  "  Come  to- 
night— I  shall  go  alone.  You  will  tell  me  then  why  it  is 
you  care  so  much  to  have  me  do  so." 


GONE!  305 

The  trio  were  in  the  room,  and  Aylmer  spared  the 
necessity  of  a  reply.  A  slight  movement  of  his  head 
assured  Nina  that  her  scheme  had  succeeded. 

The  duchess  exulted  in  the  depths  of  her  soul.  Oh, 
she  was  beginning  to  wind  in  her  carefully-arranged  threads 
very  rapidly  now.  She  had  forced  Violet  Cameron  to 
invite  her  ;  she  had  turned  Aylmer's  head  till  his  long- 
preserved  pretense  of  composure  had  yielded  ;  she  should 
triumph  in  every  way. 

Violet  still  sat  at  her  desk  when  Antonio  appeared  with 
a  second  letter.  She  opened  it  and  glanced  at  the  com- 
mencement : 

"  I  have  deferred  giving  my  husband's  friend  the  pleas- 
ure of  coming  to  your  house  until  another  night.  I  had 
forgotten  that  Thursday  evening  was  always  reserved  for 
your  intimates,  but  Mr.  Aylmer  reminded  me  of  the  fact 
when  he  came  in  to  call  a  short  time  since." 

Violet  read  no  further.  She  flung  the  note  aside,  and 
left  the  room  :  the  odious  perfume  which  the  woman  always 
employed  made  the  air  suffocating. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
GONE! 

IOLET  and  Miss  Bronson  went  to  the  opera  that 
evening.  Violet  fully  determined  to  increase 
the  number  of  her  already-invited  guests  from 
among  the  crowd  of  male  visitors  certain  to  in- 
vade her  loge,  and  the  female  acquaintances 
who  would  be  in  their  boxes,  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  go 
anywhere,  at  any  hour  of  day  or  night,  on  the  most 
frivolous  pretext  for  amusement.  Giulia  da  Rimini  should 
distinctly  perceive  she  had  been  mistaken  in  supposing  her- 
self included  in  the  charmed  circle  of  Miss  Cameron's 
"  intimates." 

"  It  seems  a  petty  thing  to  do  ;  since  I  have  asked  her  I 
might  as  well  let  the  matter  alone — but  then  this  wretched 


806  GONE! 

sort  of  existence  makes  one  '  petty,' "  thought  Violet.  "  I 
declare  this  shall  be  rny  last  season  in  what  people  stupidly 
call  the  '  world.'  I  am  sure  any  place  outside  it  would 
hold  more  attractions.  So  Mr.  Aylmer  had  the  kindness 
to  remind  the  duchess  this  was  not  a  night  to  present  a 
stranger.  I  think  Mr.  Aylmer  took  a  liberty  in  knowing 
anything  about  my  private  wishes.  It  is  not  very  long 
since  he  gave  me  the  impression  that  he  did  not  visit  the 
lady  :  I  wonder  if  any  man  can  tell  the  truth  ?  Sometimes 
I  half  fear  he  is  not  so  honest  and  straightforward  as  I 
believed  him.  Fickle  he  certainly  is,  else  his  fancy  would 
not  have  wandered  away  from  Mary  as  soon  as  she  was  out 
of  sight — wandered  away  to  an  elderly  thing  like  me  !  Ah 
well,  it  went  back  quickly  enough,  and  the  little  girl  loves 
him.  After  all,  he  is  better  than  most  men  ;  at  least,  too 
noble  to  trifle  with  her  happiness,  and  he  must  know  now 
that  it  depends  on  him.  My  poor  Gilbert  !  it  seems  such  a 
pity — good,  generous  heart !  Heigho,  what  a  goose  I  am  ! 
One  of  them  had  to  be  disappointed,  since  Mary  could  not 
well  like  both.  Only  to  think  of  this  shy  little  puss  having 
so  many  chances,  when  girls  who  live  in  society  and  rush 
wildly  about  from  season  to  season  in  search  of  a  parti, 
can't  find  even  one  adorer  !" 

In  the  meantime,  the  object  of  her  reflections  sat  alone 
in  her  room,  busy  with  a  new  novel,  and  deeply  enough 
engrossed  therein  to  forget  reality  in  the  companionship  of 
the  characters  conjured  up  by  the  romancer's  skill. 

Somebody  knocked  at  the  door.  Mary's  faculties  were 
so  absorbed  that  though  the  sound  vaguely  reached  her 
ear,  it  did  not  rouse  any  sense  of  necessity  for  answering. 
A  second  tap  followed,  sufficiently  loud  to  bring  her  back 
from  dreamland  in  great  haste,  and  she  called  : 

"Come  in!" 

But  as  soon  as  she  had  spoken,  she  recollected  that  it 
was  useless  to  do  so  in  English,  indulged  in  a  little  wonder 
how  people  who  did  not  by  nature  think  in  that  tongue 
could  ever  contrive  to  think  at  all,  and  then  repeated  her 
permission  in  the  soft  southern  accents  she  was  acquiring 
with  the  facility  of  her  age. 

But  when  the  door  opened,  Mary  perceived  that  still 
another  language  must  be  brought  into  exercise  for  the 
benefit  of  that  special  member  of  the  polyglot  household 
who  appeared — no  less  a  personage  than  Mademoiselle 


GONE  307 

Clarice,  and  naturally  she,  in  her  character  of  Parisian, 
scorned  to  speak  or  understand  anything  save  French. 

"  Pardon  !     I  regret  to  disturb  mademoiselle." 

"  Not  in  the  least,  Clarice.     What  is  it  ?" 

"  A  little  packet,  which  came  just  after  dinner  for 
mademoiselle,  and  was  forgotten  by  that  very  careless 
Assunta,"  returned  Clarice.  "  I  was  afraid  mademoiselle 
might  already  be  preparing  for  bed — I  know  she  goes  very 
early  sometimes  when  she  is  tired — so  I  would  not  permit 
any  one  else  to  intrude." 

"  Thanks  ;  you  are  very  good,"  said  Mary,  still  rather 
absent. 

"  It  is  mademoiselle  who  is  good — the  true  cousin  of 
my  lady,"  responded  Clarice,  with  her  stateliest  courtesy. 
"  I  lay  the  packet  on  the  table — see  !  only  some  sketches,  I 
think." 

"  Some  photographs  I  bought  to-day,"  replied  Mary. 

Clarice  again  demanded  pardon  for  the  interruption, 
and  went  her  way.  Mary  sat  holding  the  book,  but  the 
spell  was  broken.  After  a  little,  she  rose  and  took  up  the 
package.  It  struck  her  that  it  did  not  resemble  her  pur- 
chase in  size  or  shape,  and  she  began  to  examine  the  ad- 
dress, thinking  the  shop-people  might  have  committed 
some  blunder.  As  she  caught  sight  of  the  firm,  clear 
writing,  she  gave  a  start  and  a  little  cry  of  pleased  sur- 
prise. 

The  parcel  was  so  carefully  sealed  and  the  paper  so 
thick,  that  opening  it  proved  a  work  of  some  seconds. 
While  Mary's  eager  fingers  tore  at  the  envelope,  her  smile 
growing  sweeter  and  her  eyes  softer,  her  rapid  reflections 
ran  in  this  wise  : 

"From  Gil — from  Mr.  Warner.  The  Vaughtons  call 
him  Gilbert  so  often  before  me  that  I  forget.  I  can't  im- 
agine what  he  has  sent  me  !  He  hasn't  been  in  the  studio 
since  we  nearly  quarreled  yesterday.  All  my  fault,  I  dare 
say.  I  am  so  bad-tempered.  lie  went  away  vexed.  Oh  ! 
I  thought  he  did  not  care,  but  if  so,  he  wouldn't  take  the 
trouble  to  send.  Ah,  who  knows? — perhaps  this  may  be 
to  tell  the  whole.  Violet  said  no  girl  need  feel  ashamed  of 
a  liking  for  an  honest  man.  I  am  not  ashamed.  I  am 
pi-oud  of  being  able  to  appreciate  him  !" 

As  she  reached  this  point  in  her  meditations  she  suc- 
ceeded in  pulling  off  the  wrapper.  Two  or  three  notes 


308  GONE! 

and  a  withered  flower  fell  upon  the  table — in  her  hand  she 
held  a  couple  of  crayon  sketches  and  a  letter.  A  moment's 
hesitation,  in  which  a  terrible  fear  shot  across  her  soul  as 
abruptly  as  a  storm  rushes  over  a  tropical  sky,  then  she 
unfolded  the  sheet  and  stared  at  the  opening  line  : 

"  DEAR  Miss  DANVEBS, 

"The  suddenness  of  my  departure " 


This  first  clause  turned  her  so  dizzy  that  she  sank  back 
in  her  chair  ;  her  eyes  fastened  on  the  phrase  and  refused 
to  go  further.  Presently  she  heard  herself  repeating  in  a 
bewildered  tone  : 

"  'The  suddenness  of  rny  departure '  " 

The  sound  of  her  own  voice  nerved  her  as  if  some 
stranger  watching  had  made  his  presence  known,  thereby 
reminding  her  of  the  necessity  for  composure.  She  began 
the  page  again  : 

"  The  suddenness  of  my  departure  prevents  my  having 
the  honor  of  making  my  adieux  in  person.  I  leave  Flor- 
ence in  an  hour.  When  this  reaches  you,  I  shall  have 
started  on  my  journey. 

"  These  little  mementoes  I  return.  I  could  not  destroy 
them  ;  yet,  under  the  changed  circumstances  of  your  life, 
they  ought  either  to  be  destroyed  or  placed  in  your  own 
hands,  unimportant  though  they  may  be,  save  from  the 
value  I  attached  to  them.  That  they  are  of  value  to  me, 
is  only  a  reason  the  more  why  I  should  not  guard  them 
longer. 

"  They  are  all  here — only  three  notes  and  a  withered 
rose. 

"I  am  going  away.  Long  before  we  meet  again, 
you " 

But  here  a  pen  had  been  dashed  heavily  across  the  page, 
blotting  out  the  line.  This  was  what  followed  : 

"  However  extended  the  period  of  my  absence  may 
prove — however  far  my  wanderings  may  lead  me — I  beg 
you  to  believe  (if  you  care  to  accept  the  assurance)  that 
sincerest  wishes  for  your  happiness  will  go  with  me,  and 
the  belief  that  such  is  your  portion  will  always  cast  a  ray 


GONE!  309 

of  sunlight  across  my  life,  however  colorless  and  dull  from 
the  lack  of  personal  joys  and  interests. 

"  I  have  finished  the  two  drawings  which  you  were  good 
enough  to  prefer  among  the  sketches  I  made  during  our 
pleasant  voyage,  and  I  beg  you  to  accept  them  from 

"  Your  friend, 

"  GILBERT  WARNER." 

Gone  !  Mary  read  the  letter  twice  before  she  could  be- 
lieve that  she  was  reading  aright.  Gone  with  no  other 
farewell  than  these  brief  cold  lines  !  When  her  mind  took 
in  the  truth,  it  brought  a  swift,  overpowering  sense  of 
shame.  The  hypothetical  case  she  had  proposed  to  Violet 
became  a  personal  question  :  Was  it  not  disgraceful  for  a 
girl  to  give  her  heart  unasked  ?  And  she  had  done  this  : 
he  had  never  cared  for  her — never  ;  she  had  deceived  her- 
self from  first  to  last !  Even  the  dictates  of  ordinary 
friendship  would  have  prevented  a  departure  so  cruelly 
abrupt — without  so  much  as  taking  the  trouble  to  traverse 
the  corridor  which  led  to  her  studio,  where,  during  the 
whole  of  that  long  day,  each  time  she  heard  a  sound,  her 
heart  had  leaped  up  with  an  eager  hope  that  it  was  his  step 
— the  moment  of  reconciliation  over  their  foolish  quarrel 
arrived  at  length — each  time  the  disappointment  bringing 
a  sharper  pang  and  dread. 

It  seemed  to  Mary  this  dreadful  feeling  of  humiliation 
must  kill  her  ;  she  could  not  live  beneath  its  crushing 
weight.  After  a  while  the  relief  of  tears  was  granted  ; 
then  followed  a  long  hour  of  stormy  meditation,  at  the 
close  of  which  her  lacerated  pride  struggled  for  some  means 
of  defense  against  its  burden.  Could  she  throw  the  whole 
blame  upon  her  own  vanity  and  weakness  ?  A  thousand 
incidents  connected  with  the  past  months  came  up — each 
recollection  a  fresh  torture,  but  offering  a  firmer  conviction 
which  at  least  possessed  a  gleam  of  comfort  for  her  wounded 
self-respect. 

He  had  helped  her  own  heart  to  deceive  her  :  no  man 
could  have  given  plainer  assurances  of  interest — nay,  affec- 
tion— than  he  had  done.  If  he  had  never  cared  for  her,  he 
•was  a  trifler — that  meanest  of  God's  creatures,  a  male  co- 
quette— to  grieve  for  whom  would  be  degradation  indeed  ! 
The  very  harshness  of  her  thoughts  brought  a  reaction  in 
his  favor — made  her  as  eager  to  find  excuses  for  him  as  she 


310  GONE! 

had  been  to  seek  them  in  behalf  of  her  own  dignity.  He 
vain,  false,  capable  of  playing  at  devotion,  of  trying  to  win 
a  woman's  heart  to  amuse  an  idle  hour,  and  flinging  the  gift 
aside  as  carelessly  as  he  might  a  broken  ornament  when  his 
pleasure  in  the  game  ended  ? 

No — a  thousand  times,  no  !  If  he  were  false,  neither 
earth  nor  heaven  held  aught  of  truth  in  all  their  round. 
He  was  noble  and  good,  a  king  among  men.  She  flung  the 
assertion  at  her  soul  with  passionate  defiance  ;  it  seemed  to 
her  almost  as  if  she  were  taking  his  part  against  some 
enemy  who  had  basely  slandered  him. 

She  caught  up  the  letter  and  read  it  anew,  slowly,  weigh- 
ing each  sentence,  each  word.  She  would  be  calm  ;  she 
would  exercise  her  reason  ;  behave  as  she  might  if  some 
suffering  girl  had  come  to  her  for  counsel.  What  did  that 
letter  mean  ?  It  was  the  farewell  of  a  man  who  went  away 
because  he  deemed  himself  unappreciated,  uncared  for. 
That  was  what  it  meant :  she  should  feel  and  say  it,  had 
the  epistle  been  addressed  to  another ;  she  would  say  it 
now. 

She  studied  the  page  again  and  again  ;  pored  over  the 
blotted  lines  with  eyes  so  eager  that  they  seemed  to  acquire 
a  kind  of  mici'oscopic  power,  which  gradually  made  out  a 
word  here  and  there  till  at  last  the  entire  sentence  became 
legible.  What  did  it  read  ?  At  first  she  hardly  dared  to 
credit  the  evidence  of  her  own  sight,  but  each  new  exami- 
nation rendered  the  phrases  and  their  significance  clearer, 
more  decisive,  waking  joy  and  thankfulness  in  her  soul. 

She  whispered  the  sentence  to  herself  ;  she  gained  cour- 
age to  repeat  it  aloud  : 

"  You  will  have  become  so  serenely  content  in  your  new 
happiness  that  my  heart  will  not  even  dare  to  beat  too 
quickly  in  your  presence." 

What  did  that  mean  ?  Why,  he  loved  her — he  loved 
her — and  had  believed  her  heart  given  to  another.  The 
joy  of  this  assurance  was  succeeded  by  fears  as  terrible  in 
their  way  as  her  humiliation  had  been.  He  had  gone,  and 
she  could  send  no  warning  of  his  error  after  him.  Years 
might  elapse  ere  they  met,  and  she  must  sit  passive,  help- 
less, amid  the  long  night  of  separation  ;  her  hands  bound  ; 
her  will  fettered.  She  was  a  woman,  and  could  not  speak  ; 
a  woman,  and  so  must  let  her  heart  and  his  moan  on  in  the 
dark,  and  leave  unuttered  the  single  word  which  would 


GONE!  311 

end  their  pain  —  be  the  wand-touch  of  the  fairy  that  should 
break  the  spell  of  the  cruel  magician  Fate. 

The  thought  was  insupportable.  Who  could  tell  how 
long  before  destiny  would  permit  him  to  come  again 
within  her  reach  ?  He  might  die  and  never  learn  the 
truth.  Oil,  she  would  think  no  more  ;  she  should  certainly 
lose  her  senses  under  the  horror  of  those  possibilities. 
She  started  up  ;  she  must  get  away  from  herself  ;  she 
could  endure  solitude  no  longer.  There  were  to  be  guests 
at  the  house  that  night  ;  Violet  had  told  her  so.  She 
would  for  once  break  her  rule  of  seclusion,  and  beg  her 
cousin's  permission  to  join  the  party.  Oh,  no  matter  what 
anybody  thought  !  The  need  of  human  companionship, 
distraction  for  her  mind,  was  so  strong  that  it  completely 
conquered  the  overstrained  ideas  of  decorum  and  propriety 
wherewith  she  hedged  io  her  girlish  impulsiveness  at  ordi- 
nary seasons. 

She  ran  into  her  bedroom,  carefully  bathed  her  eyes, 
rearranged  her  hair,  stood  before  the  glass,  studying  to 
give  her  features  an  expression  of  composure,  with  an 
earnestness  which  would  have  been  ludicrous,  except  for 
the  motive  that  influenced  her  —  the  necessity  of  guarding 
her  trouble  even  from  Violet's  lovingly  watchful  regard. 
Presently  a  knock  sounded  on  the  door  of  her  boudoir  ; 
she  had  known  that  her  cousin  would  come  to  say  good- 
night before  going  to  receive  her  guests.  She  hurried  back 
into  the  adjoining  chamber,  and  saw  Violet  standing  on  the 
threshold.  What  comparison  would  serve  for  her  loveli- 
ness ?  WTell  as  Mary  knew  the  face,  its  beauty  struck  her 
so  forcibly  that,  even  amid  her  preoccupation,  she  began  to 
search  for  similitudes. 

"  Ah,  mouse,  I  felt  sure  you  would  be  up  still  !  Naughty 
mouse,  do  you  know  it  is  almost  midnight?"  called  Violet, 


"  And  yet  here  comes  the  sunrise  —  that  is  it!"  exclaimed 
Mary,  moving  forward  with  wide-open  eyes  of  admiration. 

"  She  is  daft,  this  mouse,"  returned  Violet  ;  pushed  her 
laughingly  back,  and  entered.  "  What  sort  of  ridiculous 
dream  did  I  rouse  you  out  of  that  you  begin  talking  in 
Eastern  metaphors  ?" 

"  I  meant  you  ;  I  was  trying  for  a  comparison,"  said 
Mary.  "  Oh,  good  gracious  !  do  you  know  how  beautiful 
you  are  ?" 


312  GONE! 

Violet  gave  her  an  odd  glance,  went  up  to  a  mirror,  and 
regarded  her  own  reflection  for  a  few  seconds  in  silence. 

I  have  tried  vainly  to  give  you  an  idea  of  the  woman's 
beauty,  to  make  you  feel  it  ;  so  any  attempt  to  describe  her 
as  she  looked  to-night,  with  her  ordinary  loveliness  height- 
ened tenfold,  is  worse  than  useless. 

Violet  had  suffered  agonies  during  the  entire  evening 
from  that  struggle  which  now  seemed  so  familiar,  so  old, 
between  her  troublesome  heart  and  her  relentless  will,  and 
the  poor  tired  heart  had  cried  out  bitterly  against  the 
cruel'ty  of  its  tyrant. 

Her  box  had  been  crowded  ;  never  perhaps  in  the  whole 
course  of  those  ten  years  had  men  in  every  look  and  word 
rendered  her  power  over  them  so  evident.  And  among  the 
troop  of  admirers  Aylmer  came,  and  Violet  said  to  herself  : 
"  I  could  make  the  dream  of  those  brief  weeks  a  reality  ; 
I  could  make  him  love  me." 

"  Make  !"  oh,  that  word  !  it  brought  back  a  realization 
of  what  would  inevitably  happen  if  she  stooped  to  such 
baseness.  These  graces  which  were  so  potent  must  fade, 
oh,  so  soon  !  and  then  ?  No  ;  let  her  at  least  preserve  her 
feminine  dignity.  And  Mary,  Mary  !  Ah,  there  stood  his 
destiny  ;  this  pure,  gentle-eyed  maiden,  with  the  promise 
of  beauty  in  her  face.  An  honest  woman  might  have  the 
right  to  sacrifice  herself,  but  she  must  not  allow  the  man 
she  loved  to  throw  away  his  future  ;  nay,  must  prove  that 
she  was  a  woman,  not  a  fiend,  by  preventing  her  factitious 
charms  from  casting  a  single  shadow  across  the  happiness 
of  this  girl  who  had  a  whole  life  before  her — a  whole  life — 
while  she,  Violet,  was  at  the  end  of  hers,  since  at  the  end  of 
her  youth. 

On  reaching  home  she  had  hurried  to  Mary's  room,  to 
strengthen  her  resolve  by  the  sight  of  that  sweet  counte- 
nance— the  sound  of  that  loving  voice — for  a  score  of  devils 
seemed  trying  to  rouse  her  hatred  against  the  child  who 
had  unwittingly  helped  to  render  her  humiliation  complete. 

Mary  stood  at  the  other  end  of  the  chamber  and  watched 
her,  wondering  why  all  precious  gifts  should  have  been 
lavished  upon  this  one  woman  ;  then  in  her  turn  felt  hope- 
lessly wicked  because  she  could  for  an  instant  grudge  aught 
to  this  radiant  creature,  whose  noble  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart  exceeded  even  her  beauty. 

She  suddenly  recollected  the  open  letter.     Ah,  if  she 


GONE!  313 

had  left  it  where  it  lay,  allowed  Violet  to  see  it,  to  ques- 
tion, discover  the  truth,  how  different  might  have  been  the 
result  of  later  events  !  But  it  was  not  to  be. 

"  Have  your  belongings  got  the  thousandth  part  of 
a  fraction  out  of  place,  Miss  Prim  ?"  Violet  asked,  as  she 
turned  away  from  the  mirror. 

"  I'll  burn  them  all  if  they  don't  keep  in  order  !"  cried 
Mary,  burying  the  note  under  a  mausoleum  of  heavy  books. 

"It  is  time  for  me  to  go,"  sighed  Violet  ;  "the  people 
must  have  begun  to  arrive.  I  wish  they  would  not  be 
foolish  enough  to  accept  one's  foolish  invitations.  I  want 
to  stop  here.  It  is  a  comfort  to  have  a  glimpse  of  such  an 
image  of  peace — Hypatia  in  early  girlhood  ;  Lady  Jane 
Grey  at  her  studies  ;  whatever  grave  sweet  heroine  you 
like  best.  You  see  I  can  manage  compliments  as  well  as 
yourself.  Any  way,  you  are  a  darling,  and  I  love  you." 

"  I  am  nothing  of  the  sort  !"  exclaimed  Mary.  "  I'm  a 
nasty  discontented  silly  thing — but  oh,  do  love  me  all  the 
same  !" 

"  Useless,  I  suppose,  to  beg  you  to  go  down  stairs  ?" 

"I  was  about  to  ask  you  if  I  might." 

"  Ask  me  if  you  might  \  Don't  be  an  exasperating 
mouse  !  Haven't  I  exhausted  my  powers  of  rhetoric,  time 
and  again,  in  trying  to  persuade  you  not  to  stay  shut  up 
here  ?  I  would  not,  of  course,  urge  you  to  go  out ;  but  it 
is  nonsense  to  hide  yourself  when  we  have  guests.  People 
will  begin  to  think  I  keep  you  a  prisoner  from  jealousy  of 
your  pretty  face." 

"  Oh,  that  is  highly  probable  !" 

"Anything  monstrous  is  always  probable  in  this  ridicu- 
lous old  town.  But  come  into  the  salon  to-night,  just  for 
once." 

"  My  dress " 

"  Won't  answer,  my  little  recluse.  Put  on  that  white 
gown  you  scolded  me  for  sending  home  the  other  day. 
Quick  !  no  need  to  call  Clarice  ;  I'll  help  you.  If  I  leave 
you  to  reflect,  you'll  not  follow.  I  know  your  tricks  and 
ways,  you  artful  pigeon,  you  !" 

"  But  you  will  be  late " 

"  Suppose  I  arn  ?    The  women  won't  notice  my  absence, 
and  the  men  will  be  the  more  pleased  to  see  me  because 
they  have  been  kept  waiting." 
14 


314  GONE! 

"  Miss  Bronson  would  scold  you  well  for  instilling  such 
sentiments  into  ray  youthful  mind,"  cried  Mary. 

"  Heavens,  yes  !  she  would  declare  that  nay  conscience 
had  become  ossified,  my  heart  petrified,  my  better  feelings 
acidulated,  my  modesty  carbonized,  and  my  soul — oh,  that 
she  gave  up  long  ago,  and  could  not  find  a  new  anathema 
to  heap  upon  it !  But  hurry,  hurry — we  are  wasting  pre- 
cious time  !" 

In  a  few  minutes  Mary  had  exchanged  her  somber 
black  attire  for  a  gossamer  robe  of  some  Indian  fabric, 
cunningly  wrought  with  wreaths  of  white  flowers  ;  here 
and  there  a  scarlet  poppy,  emblem  of  mourning,  inter- 
spersed among  the  leaves. 

"  I  want  a  ribbon  for  your  hair ;  oh,  here  is  one. 
We'll  leave  it  down  your  back.  What  a  mass  of  waves  ! 
Oh,  you  pretty  creature,  just  look  at  yourself.  Would  you 
recognize  Miss  Mouse  ?"  cried  Violet. 

All  girls  who  will  one  day  be  beautiful  have  instants 
when  a  forecast  of  womanhood's  perfection  brightens  them 
immaturely.  Such  a  moment  had  come  to  Mary  ;  she  was 
positively  lovely.  Laurence  Aylmer  would  see  her.  Violet 
remembered  that — remembered  it  with  a  spasm  of  pain 
which  did  not  hinder  her  feeling  glad.  Yes,  glad  !  He 
would  be  more  thoroughly  convinced  than  ever,  now, 
whither  his  heart  and  his  happiness  really  pointed  ;  no 
further  possibility  of  doubt ;  no  added  hesitations  to  help 
her  own  silly  heart  to  plead  against  the  truth. 

"  Come,"  she  said,  in  a  feverish  haste  which  Mary  was 
too  excited  to  notice  ;  "  come  !" 

"  May  I  talk  ?  may'  I  be  gay  ?  You  won't  think  it 
wrong  ?"  the  girl  demanded,  her  cheeks  like  roses,  her  eyes 
sparkling  with  an  unaccustomed  brilliancy. 

Violet  stopped  short,  pushed  her  back,  and  stared  at 
her. 

"  Good  heavens,  the  child  looks  like  me  !"  she  fairly 
groaned  ;  then  laughed  aloud.  "  Envy,  my  dear.  I  was 
afraid  of  your  making  me  seem  old." 

"  Old  !"  repeated  Mary,  and  echoed  her  cousin's  laugh 
in  a  tremulous  way,  with  an  expression  in  her  face  which 
made  Violet  think  : 

"  She  has  been  jealous.  That  was  what  ailed  her.  Oh, 
my  poor  child,  don't  be  afraid  !  I'll  not  put  my  shadow 
between  you  and  the  light — between  him  and  the  future." 


GONE!  315 

Then  aloud  : 

"  Don't  you  let  my  dangerous  foreigners  get  possession 
of  you.  I'd  as  soon  permit  some  black  insect  to  touch  one 
of  my  white  rosebuds.  I  shall  tell  Mr.  Aylrner  to  take 
charge  of  you." 

And  the  hand  she  held  quivered.  Mary  was  thinking 
that  all  the  promise  of  her  girlhood  could  not  give  her  what 
Violet  had  in  her  prime — the  positive  certainty  of  being 
loved. 

"  I  wish  Warner  was  here.  He  should  make  a  sketch  of 
you,"  continued  Violet,  her  vagrant  fancy  calling  up  the 
young  man's  countenance  as  she  had  that  morning  seen  it — 
worn  and  weary  with  pain. 

The  opportunity  Mary  wanted. 

"  Oh,  didn't  you  know  ?"  she  cried.  "  He  has  gone  to 
Greece — set  off  so  suddenly  he  had  no  time  for  farewell 
visits.  He  sent  me  two  such  lovely  sketches  as  a  good-by 
present  !" 

And  Violet  thought  : 

"  Sent  his  broken  heart,  and  she  could  not  even  find  a 
spare  corner  to  hide  the  fragments  !" 

"  It  is  too  bad  he  has  gone  ;  but  I  suppose  he  has  work 
to  do,"  continued  Mary. 

"  Work  enough  !"  said  Violet.  "  Well,  come  along. 
Les  absents  ont  toujours  tort — he  must  share  the  ordinary 
fate." 

And  now  they  were  at  the  salon-doors,  and  Eliza  Bron- 
son  hurried  forward,  saying  : 

"  There  is  no  order  in  this  house — none  !  Violet,  crowds 
— troops  of  people  are  here,  and  what  excuse  could  I  make 
for  you  ?  Why,  Mary  Danvers,  I  thought  you  were  in  bed  ! 
Oh,  very  well  !  You  both  know  what  you  mean,  I  sup- 
pose. For  my  own  part,  I  do  not  in  the  least." 

And  she  stood  aside  with  a  resigned  air  to  let  them  pass, 
suddenly  remembering  that  in  her  desire  to  overwhelm  the 
paii-  she  had  terribly  exaggerated  the  number  of  guests ; 
but,  after  all,  that  was  the  fault,  too,  of  those  misguided 
creatures  ! 


316  CHRISTENED     CIRCE. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
CHRISTENED     CIKCE. 

jT  least  a  score  of  guests  were  gathered  in  the 
salons  when  Violet  and  her  cousin  entered — 
quite  a  throng,  it  seemed  to  Mary,  and  so  few 
persons  known  to  her  that  she  began  to  feel  a 
little  shy  and  almost  wish  she  had  remained  in 
her  own  room,  until  the  recollection  of  what  reason  she  had 
for  the  first  time  to  fear  solitude  brought  back  her  courage. 
Engrossed  as  the  hostess  was  from  the  moment  of  her 
appearance,  she  did  not  forget  to  introduce  several  agreeable 
people  to  her  charge,  and  established  her  under  the  wing 
of  an  elderly  lady,  certain  that  if  confided  to  Miss  Bronson's 
chaperonage,  the  spinster  in  her  present  mood  would,  with 
the  best  possible  intentions,  torment  the  girl  nearly  to 
death  in  a  very  brief  space  of  time. 

Madame  Magnoletti  came  in,  leaning  on  Laurence  Ayl- 
mer's  arm.  That  gentleman  paid  his  respects  to  Violet, 
stood  for  a  few  instants  among  the  little  group  which  sur- 
rounded her,  then  hurried  away  to  where  Mary  sat.  Violet 
watched  him  go,  and  told  herself  it  was  well.  The  pretty 
child  would  have  her  happiness.  This  seeking  her  the  in- 
stant his  duty  to  his  hostess  permitted,  showed  very  clearly 
his  state  of  mind.  At  the  same  moment  the  Duchess  da 
Rimini  was  announced,  but  Violet  failed  to  observe  that 
Aylmer  hastened  towards  her  cousin  like  a  man  in  search 
of  some  haven  of  refuge  as  Giulia  appeared,  resplendent  in 
a  costume  of  amber  satin  and  black,  which  set  off  her  dark 
beauty  to  the  greatest  advantage. 

"  My  dearest  Violet,"  she  said,  as  Miss  Cameron  ad- 
vanced to  meet  her,  "  nobody  except  you  could  have  per- 
suaded me  out  to-night ;  but  I  could  not  refuse  your  en- 
treaties." 

And  Violet  was  in  her  own  house — could  neither  resent 
the  familiarity  nor  refute  the  possibility  of  having  entreated 
Giulia  da  Rimini  to  grace  her  rooms  !  She  had  to  endure 
the  enthusiastic  greetings,  the  utterance  of  her  Christian 
name  (hearing  which  for  the  first  time  from  those  lips  made 
her  feel  she  would  hate  the  sound  of  it  henceforth),  the 


CHRISTENED     CIRCE.  317 

pretense  of  an  intimacy  which  had  never  existed  ;  for  Giu- 
]ia  was  too  astute  to  lose  this  opportunity  of  assuring  all 
beholders  that  she  and  the  courted  heiress  were  as  affection- 
ately frank  in  their  mutual  attachment  as  two  sisters  could 
have  been. 

"  O  Mercury,  god  of  craft  !"  Lady  Harcourt  whispered 
in  Nina  Magnoletti's  ear.  "Giulia  is  tremendous!  We 
have  never  appreciated  that  woman  ;  she  is  more  than  a 
match  for  ns  all." 

"Don't  insult  the  sex  by  giving  her  the  title  !"  returned 
Nina.  "  Some  Frenchman  said  the  wife  Cain  found  in  the 
land  of  Nod  was  a  wild  animal  with  a  woman's  face.  My 
dear,  Giulia  is  her  lineal  descendant." 

"  Or  the  original  article,  who  has  escaped  the  Deluge, 
and  has  lived  down  to  our  days,"  said  her  ladyship.  "  But 
we  need  not  be  severe  upon  her  ;  it  is  amusing  to  watch 
her  maneuvers,  since,  as  you  said  the  other  day,  she  can- 
not interfere  with  any  of  us." 

Could  she  not  ?  Nina's  own  boast  struck  her  like  an 
evil  omen.  And  there  was  Carlo  now,  greeting  the  creature 
in  his  indolent,  graceful  fashion,  and  Giulia  holding  him 
fast,  while  she  kept  her  place  beside  Miss  Cameron,  and 
continued  those  araical  demonstrations  which  caused  their 
recipient's  blood  to  boil. 

There  had  been  signs  this  season  in  the  social  atmos- 
phere which  warned  the  duchess  (keen  as  other  savage 
creatures  to  scent  danger)  that  her  position  was  less  secure 
than  of  old.  She  could  no  longer  venture,  in  spite  of  her 
audacity,  to  despise  the  verdict  of  a  person  so  important  as 
Miss  Cameron  ;  and  Violet  should  give  her  the  support  she 
needed.  She  should,  even  if  it  were  necessary  to  come  to 
some  open  bargain,  tell  the  American  that  Carlo  and  Nina 
should  suffer  if  she  did  not  consent.  Still  the  duchess 
hoped  to  avoid  this  extreme  measure,  which,  though  it 
were  to  prove  a  temporary  triumph,  would  be  a  burning  of 
her  vessels  that  Violet  might  turn  to  her  disadvantage  later, 
for  Giulia's  acutencss  prevented  her  committing  the  blunder 
ordinary  humanity  makes,  of  underrating  an  enemy's 
abilities.  Too  wise  to  push  her  victory  beyond  safe  limits, 
the  signora  moved  away  before  Miss  Cameron's  powers  of 
endurance  were  entirely  exhausted,  but  that  they  had  been 
tried  to  the  furthest  point  Nina's  knowledge  of  her  friend 
enabled  her  to  see,  well  as  that  lady  disguised  her  emotions. 


318  CHRISTENED     CIRCE. 

"  I  know  what  you  are  thinking,"  she  whispered,  going 
up  to  Violet  and  making  a  pretense  of  adjusting  the  orna- 
ments in  her  hair.  "  Oh,  don't  lose  patience  ;  you  are 
behaving  like  an  angel." 

"  I  confess  that  if  I  could  have  the  satisfaction  of  box- 
ing Carlo's  ears  it  would  be  a  great  relief,"  returned  Miss 
Cameron,  unable  to  resist  laughing,  exasperated  as  she  was. 

"  You  will  have  a  little  respite,"  said  Nina  ;  "  he  has  to 
go  to  Perugia  for  a  couple  of  days.  I  am  going  with  him. 
— we  start  in  the  morning.  His  agent  is  dead,  and  he  must 
attend  to  matters  on  the  estate." 

"  Perhaps  you  can  find  some  means  of  restoring  his 
reason  when  you  get  him  to  yourself  for  awhile,"  rejoined 
Violet. 

"  I — I  hope  so  ;  I  am  not  sure.  Oh,  I  think  I  have 
a  little  secret,"  Nina  whispered.  "  Don't  ask  me  any  ques- 
tions yet." 

Violet  was  clasping  one  of  her  bracelets,  and  did  not 
notice  the  vivid  blush  which  accompanied  the  words. 

"  Ii  you  have,"  said  she,  "  I  really  think  you  might 
have  tried  its  efficacy  instead  of  forcing  me  to  endure  that 
woman's  unparalleled  insolence  to-night.  Oh,  Nina,  I  can- 
not do  it  again  !" 

"  I  couldn't — I'm  not  certain — I " 

Violet  did  look  at  her  now  as  she  uttered  these  broken 
ejaculations. 

"  What  ails  you  ?"  she  asked.  "  You  told  me  to-day 
you  were  humbled,  and  here  you  look  as  blooming  and 
happy  as  if  neither  cards  nor  Giulia  da  Rimini  even 
existed." 

"  I'll  tell  you  when  we  come  back,  if  there  is  anything 
to  tell.  Oh,  Violet,  I  should  be  the  happiest  woman 
alive  !" 

Miss  Cameron  gazed  at  her  in  wonder. 

"  Whatever  can  you  mean  ?"  she  began,  but  Nina  inter- 
rupted her. 

"  Hush !  here  comes  Carlo.  Oh,  if  everything  else 
fails,  you  might  turn  his  head  if  you  would  only  take  the 
trouble,"  she  said,  beginning  to  laugh,  just  to  hide  the 
pleasurable  agitation  that  reference  to  her  new,  blissful 
mystery  had  occasioned. 

"  What  a  charming  proposal !"  returned  Violet. 

"  I  don't  care ;   he  couldn't  resist  if  you  really  tried. 


QHEI8TENED    CIRCE.  319 

Oh,  I  do  not  exaggerate ;  that  woman  means  to  have 
revenge.  Carlo  has  told  me  everything  at  last — he  has  lost 
fearfully  since  they  got  up  that  club.  You  will  not  desert 
me?" 

"  Of  course  I  will  not.  Why,  Nina,  there  is  nothing  I 
would  not  do  for  your  sake  ;  surely  you  know  it !" 

"  Of  course  I  do,  bless  you  !  Only — only — don't  be 
hard  on  Carlo  :  he  is  so  good—indeed  he  is." 

"  I  can  forgive  him  a  great  deal  while  you  say  that, 
Nina  ;  but  indeed  this  growing  insanity  for  gaming  must 
be  stopped." 

"  Yes  ;  we  must  find  some  means  !  Ah,  Giulia  has  cap- 
tured him  again  ;  she'll  carry  him  off  to  the  card-table." 

"But  they  both  know  that  high  play  will  not  be 
tolerated  in  my  house :  I  have  so  often  openly  declared 
that  the  person  who  tried  it  would  not  be  invited  a  second 
time." 

"  Oh,  it  is  so  easy  to  arrange  that ;  each  hundred  francs 
in  reality  stands  for  thousands.  Do  watch  him  to-night ! 
It  seems  to  me  that  if  we  can  only  tide  over  these  next  few 
weeks  we  can  save  him.  I  have  a  dread  of  something 
terrible  ;  it  has  haunted  me  for  days.  What  a  fool  I  am 
to  get  excited  !  Only  call  him  away  from  her — do  !  Oh, 
tease  him,  coax  him,  flirt  with  him — anything,  but  don't  let 
him  suspect  I  have  told  you  of  his  losses." 

Miss  Cameron  made  a  little  sign  with  her  fan  to  Carlo  ; 
he  took  advantage  of  some  person's  addressing  the  duchess 
to  escape. 

"  He  would  as  soon  think  of  flirting  with  his  sister," 
continued  Violet. 

"  Well,  he  would  and  he  wouldn't.  He  admires  you  so 
immensely,  that  you  could  turn  his  head  if  you  chose." 

"  Nina,  we  should  both  regret  it  if  we  were  to  employ 
any  unworthy  means,  even  for  the  end  we  have  in  view." 

"  As  if  any  other  would  answer  with  men  !"  groaned 
the  marchesa.  "  Oh,  if  he  should  lose  a]l  that  legacy,  we 
must  go  and  stop — heaven  knows  where — perhaps  in 
Russia  !  I  looked  to  that  money  to  get  us  out  of  all  diffi- 
culties. I  did  not  think  he  would  be  mad  enough  to  risk  it. 
It  was  to  have  been  invested  weeks  ago." 

"  What  are  you  two  plotting  ?"  asked  Carlo,  as  he 
sauntered  up  to  them. 


320  CHRISTENED     CIRCE. 

"  Nina  has  just  been  telling  me  you  propose  eloping  with 
her,"  said  Violet.  "I  think  it  very  shabby  of  you." 

"It  is  rather  infra  dig.  to  run  off  with  one's  own  wife," 
returned  he,  smiling  at  that  lady.  "  But,  upon  my  word, 
the  small  fairy  looks  so  pretty  to-night,  I  may  think  myself 
an  enviable  fellow." 

Nina's  perfect  serenity  under  the  avowal  of  his  losses 
had  roused  his  gratitude,  and  disposed  him  to  be  admiring 
and  tender  ;  and  she  was  so  "bewitching  with  the  bright 
flush  still  on  her  cheeks,  and  the  half-startled  expression 
still  in  her  eyes,  that  he  inwardly  vowed  no  man  ever  pos- 
sessed a  treasure  of  equal  worth. 

"I  cannot  ruin  my  reputation  by  talking  in  public  to 
my  legal  tyrant,  even  if  he  does  soothe  my  vanity  by  such 
very  complimentary  fibs  !"  cried  Nina,  and  went  laughing 
away. 

"  She  really  is  adorable,"  said  Carlo,  looking  after  her. 

"  If  only  she  belonged  to  somebody  else  !  But  be  good 
enough  not  to  irritate  me  by  praising  another  woman — 
even  her.  I  am  in  an  exacting  mood,  and  can  allow  noth- 
ing to  interfere  with  your  entire  devotion  to  me,"  said 
Violet,  playfully. 

"  Ah,  you  want  to  make  use  of  me  for  some  purpose  ! 
Well,  I  am  always  at  your  service — only  you  might  tell  me 
the  motive  of  such  sudden  amiability." 

"  You  rudest  of  creatures  !  Is  this  my  reward  for 
showing  that  your  fascinations  move  me  ?" 

"  I  am  a  huge  goose,  no  doubt ;  but  not  a  big  enough 
one  to  believe  that.  Who  is  the  man  you  want  to  punish  ?" 

"  Oh,  you  infidel  !" 

"  Tell  me,  and  I'll  help  in  any  way  :  make  love  to  you, 
if  you  like." 

"Thanks,  you  are  too  good." 

"  Well,  appear  to  do  so,  to  any  extent — only  confess." 

"  I  confess  nothing ;  but  you  are  my  captive  for  this 
evening." 

"  The  most  willing  one  woman  ever  found,"  said  he. 

But  this  style  of  badinage  with  a  married  man — the 
husband  of  her  friend — this  slight  show  of  following 
Nina's  counsels — was  too  distasteful  to  Violet  ;  she  could 
not  continue  it.  Nothing  but  unpleasantness  could  come 
from  any  disturbing  of  the  brotherly  and  sisterly  terms  on 
'which  they  had  always  been,  by  any  approach  to  coquetry 


CHRISTENED    CIRCE.  321 

on  her  part,  even  though  Carlo  perfectly  understood  that  it 
was  a  pretense. 

"There  is  no  reason  why  I  should  not  tell  you  my  real 
motive,"  she  said  more  gravely.  "I  do  not  like  gaming  in 
my  house.  I  know,  if  you  refuse  to  play,  the  others  will 
refrain  too,  in  spite  of  the  Duchess  da  Rimini,  who  is 
never  happy  without  cards  in  her  hand.  Nina  told  me 
only  a  few  days  ago  you  had  been  very  wise  this  winter, 
so  you  will  not  mind  leaving  baccarat  alone  this  evening  to 
gratify  me." 

"  Of  course  I  will,"  Carlo  replied,  laughing  consciously 
— a  little  ashamed  to  recollect  what  proofs  of  wisdom  he 
had  given,  but  relieved  from  a  momentary  fear  that  Nina 
had  betrayed  his  folly  to  their  friend.  "  By  the  way,  it  is 
the  first  time  this  winter  I  have  met  the  fascinating  duchess 
here." 

"  Oh,  we  never  did  more  than  exchange  civilities  at 
rare  intervals,"  Violet  replied  carelessly,  afraid  that  he 
might  suspect  something  in  regard  to  her  reason  for  invit- 
ing the  woman.  "  I  do  not  like  her,  and  she  returns  the 
compliment  with  interest." 

"  She  adores  you,  she  says." 

"  It  is  kind  of  her  even  to  say  it.  Adore  her  and  save 
me  the  trouble  if  you  will,  only  don't  let  her  make  my 
rooms  a  gaming  salon,  please." 

"  Oh,  she  is  better  employed,"  said  Carlo.  "I  notice 
she  rather  avoids  cards  before  Aylmer — he  has  a  prejudice 
against  women's  gambling." 

The  marchese  was  sorry  as  soon  as  he  had  uttered  the 
heedless  speech  ;  although  irritated  with  Laurence  for  his 
apparent  intimacy  with  the  duchess,  he  felt  most  anxious 
to  keep  Miss  Cameron  from  sharing  his  suspicions,  and  up- 
braided his  own  stupidity  for  speaking. 

Violet  followed  the  direction  of  his  glance,  and  saw 
Aylmer  standing  beside  Giulia  da  Rimini.  She  was  talk- 
ing eagerly,  and  he  listening  with  every  appearance  of  in- 
terest. The  words  in  the  duchess's  note  flashed  across 
Violet's  mind,  and  the  displeasure,  the  sensation  of  doubt 
in  regard  to  him  which  they  had  caused  her,  came  back 
with  redoubled  force  as  she  noted  his  deferential  attitude. 

She  changed  the  conversation,  and  Carlo  followed  her 
lead,  yet  he  felt  certain  that  she  was  annoyed  by  the  very 
14* 


322  CHRISTENED    CIRCE. 

apparent  state  of  matters,  and  now  he  reviled  Aylmer's 
stupidity  more  heavily  than  he  had  done  his  own. 

But  gallant  as  Aylmer's  behavior  appeared  to  lookers- 
on,  it  proved  far  from  satisfactory  to  the  duchess.  She 
had  come  hither  exulting  in  the  hopes  which  his  words  and 
conduct  had  roused,  and  to  her  astonishment  he  showed  no 
disposition  to  follow  up  the  advantage  offered  by  her  con- 
cession of  the  morning.  This  return  to  his  old  obduracy 
roused  her  to  wrath  so  hot  that  she  comprehended  it  would 
not  be  difficult  for  him  to  change  her  love  to  virulent 
hatred,  although,  paradoxical  as  it  sounds,  the  conscious- 
ness only  deepened  the  spell  he  had  unwittingly  cast  over 
her  fancy.  She  saw  how  difficult  he  found  it  to  confine  his 
attention  to  the  recital  of  some  fresh  wrongs  she  had  be- 
gun pouring  into  his  ear  ;  saw  how  his  eyes  involuntarily 
wandered  towards  Violet  Cameron,  eloquent  with  a  ten- 
derness which  shallow  observers  might  deem  the  effect  of 
her  own  presence.  But  the  duchess  was  not  to  be  de- 
ceived, and  she  set  her  teeth  hard  together  behind  the 
smile  which  softened  her  lips,  mentally  vowing  in  some 
way  to  bring  matters  to  a  crisis  before  the  evening  ended. 

"  What  a  convenience  friendship  is  !"  she  exclaimed — a 
little  vent  for  her  anger  she  must  have.  "  Oh,  you  need 
not  try  to  look  inquiringly  ;  you  know  what  I  mean  !  La 
belle  Cameron  may  be  intimate  with  Carlo  to  any  extent — 
only  another  form  of  showing  her  affection  for  Nina  !" 

The  duchess  had  never  before  spoken  a  slighting  word 
against  Violet  in  Aylmer's  hearing.  He  was  furious  at  her 
suggestion,  yet  in  a  mood  to  be  troubled  :  only  this  very 
day  some  vague  hint  of  the  rumors  so  artfully  spread  by 
Giulia  and  the  Greek  had  reached  his  ears.  Though  he 
would  not  have  insulted  Miss  Cameron  by  admitting  it  to 
his  own  thoughts,  his  loathing  for  this  woman  by  his  side 
gave  him,  when  in  her  society,  harsh  opinions  of  her  whole 
sex.  Could  Violet  stoop  even  to  the  most  distant  appear- 
ance of  a  flirtation  with  a  married  man  ? 

He  stopped  short  in  the  question — shocked  with  him- 
self— so  angered  against  the  duchess  that  he  could  not  resist 
saying  : 

"I  beg  your  pardon.  I  know  you  are  jesting  ;  but  they 
are  both  old  friends.  One  never  can  tell  what  harm  an  idle 
speech  like  that  might  do." 

The  man  lived  who  dared  to  read  a  lesson  to  her — Giu- 


CHRISTENED    CIRCE.  323 

lia !  Her  fingers  positively  quivered  with  eagerness  to 
smite  him  full  in  the  mouth  with  the  fan  they  held.  She 
could  not  speak  for  an  instant  ;  he  stood  silent,  unable  to 
regret  his  words.  She  had  tormented  him  so  much  of  late 
that  he  wished  she  might  take  sufficient  offense  at  his  auda- 
city to  end  their  acquaintance  on  the  spot- 
But  the  duchess  restrained  her  rage,  put  up  her  fan  to 
hide  any  tell-tale  revelations  in  her  face,  and  said  : 

"  Thanks  for  reproving  me  !    Ah,  you  are  a  real  friend  !" 

"  Pray  do  not  suppose  I  could  be  guilty  of  the  imperti- 
nence," returned  he,  forced  into  offering  excuses  by  the 
way  she  received  his  speech. 

"  It  was  a  favor — intentional  or  not,"  she  said.  "  It  is 
not  like  me  to  say  such  things.  I  am  nervous,  irritable  to- 
night. Ah,  I  suffer — try  to  pity  instead  of  blaming  me." 

"  Certainly  I  should  not  take  that  liberty,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  It  is  a  privilege  of  friendship,"  she  replied,  in  her  soft- 
est tones,  "  and  you  promised  to  be  my  friend.  You  do  not 
regret  that  promise — you  do  not  mean  to  recall  it  ?" 

What  could  he  answer  except  to  give  such  polite  assur- 
ance as  his  unwilling  lips  were  able  to  frame  ? 

"  Oh,  I  know  you  did  not,"  she  continued.  "  You  are 
too  good  and  kind  to  leave  me  utterly  alone  in  the  dark. 
How  should  I  have  lived  during  these  past  weeks  but  for 
your  sympathy  ?  My  whole  heart  goes  out  in  gratitude — 
oh,  believe  that  ;  tell  me  you  believe  it !" 

He  felt  the  situation  as  absurd  as  it  was  unpleasant ;  but 
he  could  not  escape — could  only  try  to  turn  the  matter  off 
with  a  jesting  compliment. 

"  Gratitude  for  so  little  ;  oh,  duchess,  what  a  huge  word 
to  apply  !" 

"  Do  not  laugh,"  she  said,  "  do  not  seek  to  stifle  your 
real  feelings  or  mine  under  an  attempt  at  persiflage.  I  can- 
not bear  it  to-night  ;  I  am  too  excited,  too  suffering." 

Their  real  feelings  !  great  heavens,  what  did  she  mean  ? 
Nothing,  of  course  ;  merely  an  exaggerated  Southern  figure 
of  speech. 

"  This  room  is  oppressive,  I  can't  breathe,"  she  added. 
"  Take  me  out  in  search  of  a  little  air.  Let  me  have  a  mo- 
ment to  recover  myself  ;  talking  of  these  fresh  troubles  has 
unnerved  me." 

Nothing  remained  for  him  but  to  offer  his  arm,  and  lead 
her  away.  Lady  Harcourt  and  her  great  ally  Sabakiuo 


324  IN    THE    SORCERESS'S    TOILS. 

watched  them  go,  as  they  had  been  for  some  moments 
watching  their  tete-d-tete. 

When  the  pair  disappeared,  the  Russian  said  :  "  The 
spell  works — works  bravely.  Surely  you  cannot  deny  it 
any  longer." 

" Man  cher,  I  gave  up  denying  anything  when  I  ceased 
believing  anything — ages  ago,"  her  ladyship  replied. 

"  It  is  so  great  a  satisfaction  to  find  myself  right,"  he 
said,  laughing  out  of  the  recklessness  which  was  so  strong 
an  element  in  his  character,  that  the  most  solemn  or  the 
most  tragic  events  of  human  life  struck  him  from  their  lu- 
dicrous aspect,  even  when  matters  which  really  affected  his 
feelings.  "  I  am  as  proud  of  having  christened  her  Circe 
as  if  my  choice  of  the  title  had  bestowed  her  sorceress's 
gifts  upon  her." 

"  Oh,  they  might  be  very  slight,  and  still  serve  to  turn 
the  men  of  this  generation  into  swine.  Giulia  must  work 
harder  and  stranger  transformations  than  that  to  prove 
her  right  to  the  name,"  reforted  Lady  Harcourt,  more  bit- 
terly than  she  often  spoke  ;  or,  to  be  correct,  with  an 
earnestness  which  she  seldom  put  into  her  calmly-cynical 
remarks  upon  humanity. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

IN  THE  SORCERESS'S  TOILS. 

HE  duchess  showed  no  inclination  to  cease  her 
wanderings  ;  they  passe'd  through  several 
salons,  and  reached  the  great  ball-room,  which 
was  not  thrown  open  to-night.  Here  Aylmer 
had  to  obey  the  motion  of  her  hand  upon  his 
arm  ;  they  traversed  the  corridor,  and  entered  a  suite  of 
rooms  scarcely  likely  to  be  used  on  the  occasion  of  so  small 
a  party,  though  lights  were  burning  therein. 

In  the  second  of  these  chambers  the  duchess  sat  down 
upon  a  sofa,  and  motioned  Aylmer  to  place  himself  beside 
her. 

"  Now  make  me  your  explanation,"  she  said,  abruptly. 


IN    THE    SORCERESS'S     TOILS.  325 

"  My  explanation  ?"  he  repeated. 

"Yes  ;  I  had  no  time  to  ask  for  it  this  morning.  Admit 
that  I  was  very  good-natured  to  grant  your  request  without 
your  giving  any  real  reason  for  one  so  extraordinary." 

"  Did  I  give  none  ?"  he  asked,  wondering  what  possible 
motive  he  could  assign,  since  of  course  he  could  not  tell  the 
facts. 

"  Those  were  not  reasons,"  she  replied.  "  You  declared 
in  the  most  rebellious  fashion  that  you  would  not  come  if 
Signer  Dimetri  did  ;  so  I  sacrificed  the  unfortunate  feliow, 
who  is  dying  to  present  his  homage  to  the  fascinating 
heiress.  Come,  was  it  jealousy  where  she  was  concerned 
which  made  you  so  determined  I  should  not  bring 
him  ?" 

He  must  say  something  ;  he  could  not  appear  an  ass  ; 
but  oh,  how  he  hated  the  woman  at  this  juncture,  and  ana- 
thematized his  own  soft-hearted  ness  for  ever  having  felt  a 
moment's  sympathy  with  her  troubles  ! 

"  You  are  well  aware  that  no  man  is  likely  to  remember 
any  other  woman  when  in  your  society,"  he  said. 

"  Am  I  to  believe  th*at  ?"  she  asked,  in  a  low  voice,  in 
which  a  sudden  tremulousness  became  perceptible. 

There  are  positions  which  absolutely  force  a  man  to 
talk  nonsense,  else  get  up  and  run  away — a  virtuous  pro- 
ceeding which,  it  must  be  confessed,  even  the  authority  of 
patriarchal  example  does  not  render  easy,  so  Aylmer  now 
could  do  no  less  than  murmur  : 

"  Can  you  doubt  it  ?" 

For  once,  too,  his  manner,  which  women  found  so 
charming,  proved  a  downright  misfortune.  He  really 
could  not,  with  his  pale  face  and  mournful  eyes,  bend 
towards  a  lady  to  ask  her  if  she  would  have  a  cup  of  tea, 
without  unconsciously  looking  so  that  any  bystander,  not 
hearing  his  words,  would  have  sworn  he  must  be  whisper- 
ing a  speech  that  went  at  least  to  the  very  verge  of  a 
declaration. 

So  now,  though  in  his  secret  soul  wishing  the  duchess  in 
Jericho,  his  "  Can  you  doubt  it  ?"  was  accompanied  by  a 
glance  which,  while  he  feared  it  would  express  his  bore- 
dom, seemed  only  sad  ;  and  the  duchess,  believing  that  the 
time  of  her  triumph  had  arrived,  was  not  the  woman  to  let 
it  pass  unemployed  from  any  foolish  feminine  delicacy  or 
shame. 


32G  ZZV    THE    SORCERESS'S     TOILS. 

11  Yes,"  she  said,  "  I  do  believe  it ;  at  least,  you  see,  I 
am  not  offended." 

"  Would  to  God  you  were  !"  thought  Aylmer. 

The  duchess  held  out  her  hand.  There  was  nothing 
possible  on  his  part  except  to  take  it — to  bow  over  the 
fingers,  too — all  the  while  with  a  secret  shiver  of  dread,  a 
premonition  that  an  ill-natured  destiny  would  lead  Violet 
Cameron  within  sight ;  and  I  fear  that  he  cursed  the  Italian 
in  his  heart  as  his  moustache  brushed  her  hand,  instead  of 
his  lips  fastening  on  its  whiteness  with  the  feverish  energy 
which  would  have  been  (at  least,  according  to  the  lady's 
ideas)  befitting  the  occasion. 

But  he  did  not  speak,  therefore  she  must. 

"  Aylmer,"  she  said,  "  I  thought  we  were  friends." 

"  I  trust  we  are,"  he  replied. 

"  You  would  -be  more  frank  if  you  considered  me  your 
friend,"  she  said.  "You  are  reserved — mysterious  !" 

"Mysterious — I?" 

A  sudden  perception  of  the  absurd  side  of  the  predica- 
ment made  him  long  to  laugh  again. 

"  Yes  !  You  have  some  weight  on  your  mind — some 
trouble.  I  have  seen  it  for  weeks." 

Pier  witch's  eyes  had  penetrated  his  secret :  she  was 
going  to  speak  of  Violet.  He  could  not  bear  that — he 
really  could  not.  His  reticence  and  delicacy  went  far  be- 
yond that  of  ordinary  men,  who  seem  ready  to  pour  out 
their  love-stories  to  the  first  comer  with  a  frankness  as  in- 
compatible with  deep  feeling  as  it  is  with  manly  dignity. 
Except  in  the  case  of  the  professor,  to  whom  he  was  bound 
by  ties  which  rendered  their  relations  like  those  of  father 
ar^d  son  rather  than  of  common  friendship,  Aylmer  had 
never  bestowed  a  word  of  confidence  upon  the  people  with 
whom  he  was  most  intimate — Nina  and  Carlo  ;  and  they 
displaying  a  tact  which  one  could  wish  less  rare,  had  re- 
frained from  any  allusion  to  his  secret,  whether  gravely  or 
with  the  misplaced  jests  one's  allies  are  apt  to  indulge  un- 
der such  circumstances. 

"  You  will  not  speak — you  will  not  trust  me  ?"  she 
asked,  bending  on  him  the  softest  luster  of  her  eyes,  to 
whose  very  open  revelations  the  hurry  of  his  thoughts  left 
him  still  utterly  blind. 

He  could  not  let  her  go  further  ;  in  his  present  irritated 


IN    THE    SORCERESS'S    TOILS.  327 

mood  it  would  have  seemed  a  positive  profanation  to  allow 
her  to  take  that  dear  name  upon  her  lips. 

"There  are  things  of  which  a  man  cannot  speak,"  he 
said  quickly,  his  voice  tremulous  with  emotion. 

The  duchess  caught  the  tremor,  but  naturally  misinter- 
preted its  cause. 

lie  had  forgotten  wisdom  and  Miss  Cameron's  wealth  : 
brain  and  fancy  were  so  dizzied  by  her  spells  that  he  could 
no  longer  restrain  his  feelings  ;  it  needed  now  but  a  word 
of  encouragement  from  her,  and  he  would  pour  out  the  tale 
of  his  passion  and  its  struggles. 

"  There  is  nothing  he  need  keep  back  from  a  real 
friend,"  she  answered,  "  if  that  friend  be  a  woman.  Have 
I  not  said  ?  Even  though  it  be  .a  secret  which  she  knows 
ought  not  to  reach  her  ears,  her  sympathy — her — her  tender- 
ness will  prevent  displeasure.  Tell  me  your  trouble, 
Aylmer." 

She  positively  would  not  comprehend  even  so  plain  a 
refusal  as  that  which  he  had  given.  Then  he  would  tell 
her  outright  that  he  had  a  secret,  but  it  was  too  precious 
to  name  ;  she  could  only  do  him  one  favor — never  to  allude 
to  it  again. 

"Silent?"  she  continued.  "Ah,  but  when  a  knight 
wears  a  lady's  favor  he  must  obey  her  behests  !  See — this 
compels  obedience." 

She  took  a  flower  from  her  hair,  and,  with  quivering 
fingers,  adjusted  it  in  the  button-hole  of  his  coat  ;  her 
other  hand  dropped  upon  his  ;  her  head  bent  so  low  that 
to  any  person  standing  near  it  would  have  seemed  actually 
resting  on  his  shoulder. 

On  the  instant,  before  Aylmer  had  even  leisure  to  take 
in  the  new  thought  which  the  woman's  utter  abandon, 
roused  in  his  mind,  there  was  a  sound  at  the  end  of  the 
room  behind  a  mass  of  plants,  like  the  flutter  of  a  covey  of 
Yirds  suddenly  disturbed,  and  Mary  Danvers  appeared, 
white  with  an  excitement  made  up  of  indignation  and 
horror. 

"  I  couldn't  help  seeing  you  !"  she  cried,  her  French 
sounding  broken  and  difficult  in  her  passion.  "  I  didn't 
hear  what  you  said — oh,  I  am  sure  I  didn't  want  to  watch  ! 
I— I- 

She  broke  down,  gasping  for  breath,  regarding  Aylmer 
with  eyes  of  tiery  contempt.  The  duchess  drew  back  the 


328  IN    THE    SORCERESS'S     TOILS. 

hand  that  lay  on  his,  lifted  her  head,  and  hid  her  face  be- 
hind her  handkerchief  in  pretended  trouble,  but  there  was 
triumph  in  her  heart  :  at  least  she  had  robbed  her  hated 
rival !  If  he  had  never  told  his  love  to  Violet  he  could 
not  explain  this  scene  ;  if  he  had,  she  would  not  believe 
his  attempts  at  exculpation.  For  the  moment,  in  the 
savage  joy  of  the  thought,  she  forgot  the  risk  of  exposure 
she  ran  in  case  this  girl  and  Miss  Cameron  did  not  guard 
her  secret  between  them. 

Aylmer  sat  quite  still.  He  comprehended  what  mean- 
ing this  scene  must  have,  even  to  those  inexperienced 
eyes.  He  was  positively  stunned  by  the  swift-rushing  con- 
sciousness that  every  hope  was  over.  The  duchess  had 
wrecked  his  life. 

And  Mary  had  got  her  breath  back,  and  was  exclaiming  : 

"It's — it's  no  good  for  me  to  make  excuses.  I  didn't 
stop  there  to  listen.  I — I  thought  every  moment  you 
would  leave  the  room  ;  and — and,  I  didn't  want  you  to 
know — to  know " 

"  Go  away  !"  the  duchess  interrupted  in  a  low  tone  to 
Aylmer.  "Let  me  speak  to  this  foolish  child.  Go  !" 

He  rose  mechanically  ;  but  Mary  cried  out,  transfixing 
him  with  another  glance  of  wrath  and  horror,  which  came 
like  a  fresh  warning  of  his  doom  : 

"  I  understand  Italian  enough  to  know  what  she  said  ! 
You  needn't  go,  Mr.  Aylmer,  I  am  going  myself.  Oh,  I 
wish  I  had  been  anywhere  else  !  and  I  think — oh,  I  think 
you  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  look  me  in  the  face,"  she 
added,  unconsciously  bursting  into  English. 

vJShe  turned,  and  was  running  away.  The  duchess 
started  up,  and  caught  her  arm. 

"Let  me  alone  !"  cried  Mary,  so  nearly  out  of  her 
senses  now  that  she  did  not  know  what  she  said  or  did  ;  as 
she  spoke,  struggling  wildly  to  free  herself,  but  the 
duchess's  lithe  fingers  clasped  her  wrist  like  a  ring  of  iron. 

"  Go,  Aylmer,  go  !"  she  commanded. 

A  dramatic  scene  was  more  than  the  wretched  man 
could  endure.  He  hurried  out  of  the  room,  regardless  of 
Mary's  frantic  appeal  : 

"  Make  her  let  me  loose,  Mr.  Aylmer  !  Oh,  I  won't  be 
held  like  this — I  won't,  I  say  !" 

"  Child,  child  !"  the  duchess  exclaimed  in  French, 
assuming  a  tragic  mien  of  mingled  pain  and  fright, 


IN    THE    SORCERESS'S     TOILS.  329 

"standstill!     Listen!     Do  you  want  to  be  my  ruin  ?     Oh, 
let  me  explain  !" 

"I  don't  want  any  explanations,"  cried  Mary.  "It's 
none  of  my  business,  I  suppose — only — only — oh,  let  me 
go!" 

The  duchess  held  her  fast,  put  her  disengaged  hand 
before  her  face  and  pretended  to  weep. 

"  Have  pity,"  she  moaned,  "  have  pity  !  I  was  wrong 
to  let  him  move  me  as  he  did.  I — I —  Ah,  I  wish  I  might 
trust  you,  dear  child  !  you  look  so  good — so  kind  !" 

"  I  don't  wish  to  be  trusted,"  retorted  Mary,  bluntly. 
"  I  only  want  to  get  away." 

"  I  have  suffered  so,"  the  duchess  hurried  on.  "  Ah, 
you  are  too  young  yet  to  know  how  women  can  suffer  ! 
Do  not  be  hard  on  me  !  Child,  child  !  somewhere  in  your 
own  life  a  recollection  of  this  hour  may  rise  to  haunt  you 
like  a  ghost,  if  you  do  not  show  me  mercy.  Remember, 
*  Such  measure  as  ye  mete  shall  be  meted  to  you  again.'  " 

To  hear  this  woman  dare  to  quote  Scripture  at  this 
moment  sounded  a  horrible  blasphemy  in  Mary's  ears.  It 
destroyed  her  last  shred  of  self-possession.  She  cried  out 
in  horror,  making  an  insane  effort  to  stop  both  ears  at  once 
with  the  fingers  that  were  free. 

"You  will  not  be  hard  on  me — I  know  you  will  not," 
pursued  the  duchess,  in  artistically  broken  tones.  "Think 
what  my  life  has  been  !  Married  to  a  man  I  loathe — a  man 
whose  fiendish  cruelty " 

"I've  nothing  to  do  with  your  secrets,"  broke  in  Mary. 

"I  admit  that  Mr.  Aylmer  was  wrong,"  pursued  the 
duchess,  regardless  alike  of  the  girl's  disclaimers  and  her 
efforts  to  escape.  "  It  was  only  a  moment  of  madness. 
His  heart  overpowered  his  reason." 

"  Oh,  if  you  dorft  let  me  go  !" 

"  I  cannot — oh,  my  God,  girl,  I  cannot !"  the  duchess 
moaned,  with  an  accent  as  full  of  despair  as  a  shriek  could 
have  been,  though  careful  to  keep  her  voice  scarcely  above 
a  whisper.  "You  must  hear  in  order  to  pity — in  order  to 
uornprehend  that  I  merit  sympathy  more  than  blame  !  Oh, 
he  is  wrong  to  love  me,  but  human  hearts  are  stronger  than 
human  reason.  You  will  learn  that  one  day  !" 

Each  word  increased  Mary's  disgust,  forced  her  to 
harsher  judgment  ;  for  indeed,  when  she  rushed  out  from 
her  post  of  unwilling  observation,  her  interpretation  of  the 


330  ZZV    THE    SORCERESSES     TOILS. 

scene  was  not  founded  upon  such  evil  grounds  as  Giulia 
supposed.  It  centered  almost  wholly  upon  the  fact  that 
Aylmer  was  disloyal  to  Violet.  But  every  syllable  which 
fell  from  the  woman's  lips  opened  her  listener's  mind  more 
and  more  to  the  signification  which  would  have  been  patent 
to  an  oFder  person  at  a  glance. 

"  I  should  think  a  married  woman  would  be  ashamed  to 
talk  in  that  way  !"  exclaimed.  Mary,  as  the  duchess  paused 
to  execute  a  sob  of  the  most  pathetic  description.  "  At 
least  I  am  ashamed  of  you.  Let  me  go  !" 

"  So  young,  yet  so  hard,"  sighed  the  signora. 

"  A  flint  Couldn't  be  harder'!"  Mary  almost  shouted,  and 
shocked  the  duchess,  not  by  her  assertions  as  to  her  hard- 
ness, but  her  allowing  nature  to  subdue  conventionality  far 
enough  to  speak  so  loud,  even  when  half-crazed  by  emo- 
tion. "  No,  it  couldn't  !"  added  Mary,  with  fiercer  energy, 
because  she  felt  herself  on  the  verge  of  tears. 

"  So,  so  !"  returned  the  duchess,  in  an  altered  tone — and 
she  looked  full  in  the  girl's  face  with  an  undisguised  sneer. 
"  After  all,  what  does  the  matter  amount  to  ?  It  speaks  ill 
for  your  rearing — for  your  habits  of  mind,  mademoiselle, 
that  you  are  so  ready  to  think  evil  !" 

"  Oh,  I  can  endure  you  better  when  you  talk  like  that 
than  when  you  sob — I  am  sure  it  is  more  your  real  self 
speaks  !"  retorted  Mary,  anger  mastering  her  desire  to 
weep. 

The  duchess  perceived  that  even  in  her  distress  the  girl 
was  too  resolute  to  be  brow-beaten  ;  she  hastily  took  refuge 
in  a  compromise  between  indignation  and  terror. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  betray  me  ?"  she  exclaimed.  "  Do 
you  mean  to  tell  your  garbled  story  to  the  world  ?" 

"  I  never  garble  anything."  said  Mary.  "  What  have  I 
to  do  with  telling  the  facts  except  to  my  cousin " 

"Oh,  I  am  lost !"  broke  in  the  duchess.  "Violet  Cam- 
eron hates  me — she  will  never  rest  till  everything  is  known." 

Mary  ceased  her  struggles. 

"  Violet  Cimeron  would  not  take  so  much  trouble  on 
your  account,"  said  she.  "  My  cousin  will  no  more  betray 
.your  secrets  than  I  shall  !" 

"  You  promise — you  swear  ?" 

"I'll  promise  nothing,"  answered  Mary,  and  finding  her 
quiet  had  caused  the  duchess's  grasp  to  relax,  she  snatched 


IN    THE    SORCERESS'S     TOILS.  331 

her  wrist  loose  and  was  starting  off,  but  the  woman  caught 
her  gown,  moaning  : 

"  Promise,  promise  !" 

"  If  you  don't  let  me  go  I'll  scream  till  I  bring  all  the 
people  in — I  will  !"  cried  Mary,  lifting  her  voice  till  Giulia, 
perceiving  she  meant  to  carry  out  her  threat,  let  her  hand 
drop  to  her  side. 

Mary  fled  with  the  rapidity  of  a  lapwing,  the  signora 
sending  after  her  one  long,  low,  harrowing  groan,  which 
might  have  touched  the  girl  except  for  the  momentary 
throwing  off  her  disguise  in  which  the  lady  had  indulged. 
Mary's  keen  wits  told  her  in  that  instant  she  had  had  a 
glimpse  of  the  real  woman — the  sentiment,  the  despair,  did 
not  go  below  the  surface. 

Hurrying  through  one  of  the  smaller  salons,  Mary  met 
Laurence  Aylmer  ;  he  had  stopped  there  automatically — 
stood  dull  and  stupefied  under  his  misery.  The  girl  uttered 
a  little  cry,  half  of  terror,  half  of  disgust,  and  would  have 
continued  her  flight,  but  he  moved  directly  in  front  of  her. 

He  hardly  knew  what  he  meant  to  say,  since  he  could 
offer  no  explanation  without  putting  the  blame  where  it 
belonged,  and  the  fact  that  the  culprit  was  a  woman  for- 
bade this  ;  yet  a  wild  idea  crossed  his  mind  of  trying  by 
some  means  to  soften  Mary's  indignation,  and  prevent  her 
telling  Miss  Cameron  what  she  had  seen. 

"  Miss  Danvers,"  he  said,  "  just  one  moment  !" 

"Let  me  pass  !"  cried  she.  "How  dare  you  stop  me  ! 
I  wonder  even  your  assurance  can  go  so  far  !" 

"  If  you  would  take  time  to  reflect — if  I  might  at  least 
ask  you  to  be  silent " 

"And  now  you  want  promises,"  Mary  broke  in.  "I 
have  none  to  make  you,  any  more  than  I  had  to  her." 

"Only  listen  an  instant,"  he  said  in  a  slow,  choked 
voice.  "  You  might  grant  me  so  much.  Remember,  it  is 
not  long  since  you  promised  that  we  should  be  friends." 

But  his  very  attempts  to  subdue  his  agitation  seemed 
acting  to  Mary — a  copying  of  the  duchess's  role — an  addi- 
tional insult. 

"I'll  not  hear  a  word  !"  she  said.  "  I  should  think,  if 
you  have  any  decency,  you  would  leave  this  house,  and 
never  attempt  to  set  foot  in  it  again.  Shame  on  you — 
shame  !" 

Expostulations,   entreaties,   were   useless ;    he   stepped 


332  IN    THE    SORCERESS'S     TOILS. 

aside  in  silence.  Mary  rushed  on  with  a  fresh  sob.  Lau- 
rence Aylmer  heard  the  rustle  of  female  garments  near  the 
door  ;  before  he  looked,  he  knew  who  stood  there.  The 
duchess  had  ruined  his  life,  and  his  tongue  must  remain 
tied,  because  she  was  a  woman. 

"Mary,  Mary!"  Miss  Cameron  called,  stopping  short 
in  astonishment  and  alarm  ;  then  as  the  girl  darted  for- 
ward, saw  Giulia  da  Rimini  peer  in  from  the  adjoining 
room,  and  quickly  vanish. 

Believing  that  she  understood  everything — her  vague 
doubts  of  the  past  hours  made  certainties  by  the  unmis- 
takable significance  of  this  scene — Violet  turned  with  swift 
wrath  upon  Laurence  Aylmer,  standing  aloof,  pale  and 
dumb. 

His  eyes  met  her  fiery  glance  unfalteringly  ;  the  face  of 
a  marble  statue  could  not  have  been  more  immovable  than 
his. 

Mary  flung  herself  into  her  cousin's  arms  ;  her  strength 
was  exhausted  ;  she  burst  into  a  passion  of  tears,  sobbing, 
"  Tell  him  to  go.  I — I  am  acting  like  a  fool,  but  I  can't 
help  it.  Oh,  I  shall  die  if  he  stays  a  moment  longer  ; 
make  him  go  !" 

"  May  I  ask  you  to  leave  me  with  my  cousin  ?"  Violet 
said,  in  a  cold,  ceremonious  tone,  which  only  deepened  the 
effect  of  her  anger.  At  the  instant  she  again  caught  sight 
of  the  duchess  peering  in  at  the  door,  and  Violet's  wrath 
rose  to  such  a  height  that  she  could  not  keep  back  the 
words  which  sprang  to  her  lips — they  uttered  themselves 
before  she  knew  she  was  speaking  :  "I  will  bid  you  good- 
night, Mr.  Aylmer." 

He  gave  one  start,  then  stood  motionless  ;  his  eyes  on 
her  face  still ;  a  wondering  incredulity  in  his  countenance, 
such  as  a  man  might  wear  when  receiving  an  insult  so 
deadly  that  at  first  his  mind  refused  to  accept  its  reality. 

Violet  comprehended  what  she  had  done — absolutely 
turned  him  out  of  her  house  ;  but  a  half-born,  frightened 
penitence  died  beneath  the  convulsive  clasp  of  Mary's 
arms — the  agony  of  Mary's  voice  as  it  moaned  in  her  ear  : 
"  Make  him  go — make  him  go  !" 

Laurence  Aylmer  straightened  himself  like  a  person 
struggling  against  the  effect  of  a  powerful  physical  blow  ; 
he  stepped  forward  ;  his  eyes  burned  into  Violet's  with  a 
fire  which  surpassed  that  in  hers ;  as  he  passed  hei-,  he 


EACH    BLUNDERS.  333 

bowed  his  head,  saying,  "Good-night,  Miss  Cameron,"  and 
was  gone.  He  walked  through  the  corridor  as  if  treading 
the  deck  of  a  ship  in  a  storm  ;  the  floor  seemed  to  heave 
beneath  his  feet,  the  walls  to  waver  to  and  fro  ;  a  roar  like 
the  surge  of  billows  de^cned  his  ears  ;  an  icy  perspira- 
tion, like  the  spray  from  wintry  waves,  bedewed  his  fore- 
head. He  reached  the  antechamber,  a  servant  handed  him 
his  coat  and  hat. 

"  Please  give  me  your  arm  down  stairs  ;  I  can  scarcely 
stand,"  said  the  duchess's  voice,  close  behind  him. 

He  looked  at  her,  and  a  dreadful  wrath  shook  his  soul } 
a  mad  impulse  to  throttle  her,  as  any  wild  animal  with 
cruel  instincts  ought  to  be  slain,  to  prevent  its  working 
further  harm. 

"  Laurence,  Laurence,  give  me  your  arm  !"  she  repeated, 
grasping  it  as  she  spoke,  as  if  unable  to  support  herself. 

At  the  instant,  several  men  came  out  together  from  the 
salons,  joined  them,  talked  gayly,  and,  to  Aylmer's  relief, 
hovered  about  the  duchess  as  they  went  down  stairs,  even 
stood  beside  the  carnage  after  she  had  entered  it. 

But  she  found  an  opportunity  to  whisper  :  "  To-morrow, 
Laurence,  to-morrow  !" 

He  stepped  back  without  the  slightest  sign  of  having 
caught  her  words. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

EACH  BLTTNDEBS. 

IOLET  had  no  time  to  spend  in  consoling  Mary, 
or  to  reflect  upon  her  dismissal  of  Aybner — 
she  must  return  to  her  guests. 

"You  had  better  go  to  your  room,  dear," 
she  said  kindly  ;  "  I  will  come  to  you  as  soou 
as  these  tiresome  people  are  gone." 

"  Oh,  I  wish  I  had  stayed  there  !"  said  Mary.  "  I  know 
you  must  be  vexed  with  me  !  If  I  hadn't  been  tired  and 
upset  I  should  not  have  behaved  so  like  an  idiot — but — 
but » 


334  EACH   BLUNDERS. 

A  sob  checked  her  utterance  in  spite  of  all  her  efforts 
to  restrain  her  emotion. 

"  Vexed  with  you?"  said  Violet,  kissing  her.  "Don't 
think  me  capable  of  it !  Now  go,  dear  ;  somebody  might 
come  in." 

Mary  hurried  away,  and  Vioret  went  back  to  her  duties. 

Miss  Bronson  met  her  with  a  mien  of  sorrowful  severity. 

"  Some  of  your  visitors  are  gone  without  being  able  to 
bid  you  adieu,"  she  said.  "  This  may  be  in  keeping  with 
continental  customs,  but  I  own  such  negligence  on  your 
part  surprises  me  beyond  expression." 

"Perhaps  the  rest  will  kindly  follow  suit  very  soon," 
Violet  answered,  trying  to  laugh.  "  Who  has  been  consid- 
erate enough  to  set  the  example  ?" 

"  Mr.  Aylmer  has  just  given  Madame  da  Rimini  his  arm 
down  stairs — several  gentlemen " 

Violet  did  not  pause  to  hear  the  close  of  the  sentence  ; 
Miss  Bronson  looked  after  her  with  saintly,  pitying  indig- 
nation, and  shivered  in  dread  under  a  prophetic  conviction 
that  unless  she  could  persuade  her  friend  to  exchange  that 
heathen  land  for  the  refuge  of  Protestant  climes,  the  mis- 
guided creature's  soul  would  be  lost  beyond  a  peradven- 
ture. 

It  seemed  an  almost  endless  period  to  Violet  before  she 
regained  her  liberty,  but  the  latest  loiterers  departed  at 
length — she  said  good-night  to  Eliza,  and  hastened  towards 
her  own  rooms.  Suddenly  the  impatience  with  which  she 
had  awaited  the  breaking  up  of  the  party  was  succeeded  by 
a  regret  that  the  people  had  not  remained  and  so  deferred 
a  little  longer  the  explanation  she  must  listen  to  from 
Mary.  The  scene  she  had  interrupted  left  little  chance  of 
doubt  that  the  suspicions  in  regard  to  Aylmer  and  tho 
duchess  for  which  she  had  so  bitterly  reproached  herself  as 
a  gross  injustice  to  him,  were  to  be  verified,  and  worso 
than  all  the  rest  was  the  thought  of  Mary's  trouble.  Tho 
poor  girl  had  not  only  to  endure  the  ache  of  her  wounded 
heart,  but  the  way  in  which  her  dream  had  been  dispelled 
must  make  the  pain  still  harder  to  bear. 

After  Clarice  had  ended  her  ministrations  and  dis- 
appeared, Violet  sat  still,  hoping  that  Mary  might  have 
fallen  asleep,  which  would  afford  a  respite  until  the  morrow, 
and  give  them  both  an  opportunity  to  reach  at  least  an 
appearance  of  composure.  But  as  she  was  thinking  this 


EACH    BLUNDERS.  335 

the  door  of  the  adjoining  room  opened,  and  her  cousin 
called,  in  an  appealing  tone  : 

"  Do  come,  Violet— do  !" 

Miss  Cameron  obeyed  the  summons  without  an  instant's 
hesitation,  rendered  desperate  rather  than  courageous  by  a 
sudden  intolerable  pain  away  down  in  her  soul — a  pain 
separate  from  her  sympathy  for  Mary,  her  hot  indignation 
towards  Aylmer — so  purely  personal  that  it  roused  her  to 
rage  and  scorn  against  herself. 

"  I  thought  perhaps  you  were  asleep,   and  so  would  not 
disturb  you,"  she  said,  as  she  entered  the  chamber. 

"Oh,  I  feel  as  if  I  should  never  sleep  again,"  cried 
Mary,  pushing  her  hair  back  from  her  forehead  with  quick, 
impatient  hands.  She  had  turned  the  lamp  low,  but  the 
shadows  falling  on  her  face  only  deepened  the  traces  left 
by  excitement  and  tears.  "  Sit  down,  Violet,  please.  I've 
been  thinking — thinking.  I  almost  made  up  my  mind  not 
to  tell  you — but  I  ought — it  would  be  wicked  not  to.  " 

"  Tell  me,"  said  Violet,  seating  herself  with  her  back  to 
the  light. 

"  1  feel — oh,  I  don't  know  to  express  it !"  exclaimed 
Mary.  "  I  feel  soiled — to  discover  that  such  wickedness 
really  exists  !  I  have  read  in  books,  of  course — I  am  not  a 
baby — but  actually  to  know  that  a  married  woman  can  let 
a  man  make  love  to  her " 

She  broke  off  with  a  shudder  ;  Violet  shuddered  too, 
with  the  same  overpowering  sense  of  abasement  which 
any  pure  woman  must  endure  when  brought  face  to  face 
with  sins  whose  existence  has  hitherto  belonged  to  the  rec- 
ord of  personally  unproven  facts. 

"And  —  and,"  continued  Mary,  "when  one  has  re- 
spected the  man — thought  him  so  good — oh,  it  is  dread- 
ful !" 

Dreadful  indeed  !  True,  the  discovery  that  the  hero  to 
whom  her  young  heart  had  gone  out  was  unworthy  the  gift, 
might  help  the  sooner  to  bring  a  cure  of  her  sufferings,  bnt 
at  first  it  would  make  the  sharpest  sting  in  their  pangs. 
Mary's  words  showed,  however,  that  she  did  not  mean  to 
behave  like  a  weak,  ordinary  girl  ;  she  had  no  mind  to 
pour  out  love-sick  confessions  and  appeals  for  sympathy. 
Violet  felt  an  increased  respect  for  a  nature  which,  even  in 
this  earliest,  supreme  agitation,  retained  pride  and  dignity 
enough  to  hold  fast  to  its  secrets,  and  reflected  that  on  her 


336  EACH    BLUNDERS. 

own  part  great  care  must  be  taken  to  avoid  any  sign  of 
suspecting  that  other  emotions  than  outraged  modesty  and 
grief  at  discovering  the  worthlessness  of  a  valued  friend 
had  a  share  in  Mary's  agitation. 

"  I  am  sorry — oh,  so  sorry  !"  she  faltered,  forced  to 
speak  lest  her  silence  should  appear  strange,  but  able  as  yet 
to  find  no  fitter  speech  than  these  commonplace  ejacula- 
tions of  regret. 

"  Oh,  I  am  sorry  too  ;  but  that  doesn't  mend  matters — 
it  only  makes  them  worse  !"  cried  Mary,  almost  sharply. 
"  If  one  didn't  care,  it  would  be  easy  enough  to  put  it  all  by  ; 
just  let  them  both  alone  for  always,  and  never  think  of 
them." 

"  And  is  that  what  must  be  done  in  any  case  ?"  Violet 
asked,  with  a  certain  maidenly  hesitation  which  Mary 
appreciated. 

"  Oh,  I  know  what  your  voice  means  !"  she  said.  "  You 
feel  that  you  ought  to  hear,  and  you  can't  bear  to  listen. 
Indeed,  indeed,  I  wouldn't  tell  if  I  could  help  it.  If  it  was 
only  what  I  saw,  I'd  try  to  think  I  was  coarse — suspicious — 
wicked — only,  only  how  could  I?  Oh,  Violet,  she  had  her 
head  on  his  shoulder  !" 

Mary  put  her  hand  before  her  eyes  for  a  moment ;  Violet 
turned  sick  and  cold,  and  sat  trembling  from  head  to  foot. 

"After  that,"  she  said  presently,  "there  could  be  no 
possibility  of  your  accusing  yourself  of  unjust  suspicions." 

The  firm  ring  of  her  voice  gave  Mary  courage  ;  she  had 
told  the  whole  story  in  one  abrupt  speech,  after  trying 
gradually  to  break  her  news  ;  she  had  told,  and  Violet  had 
been  able  to  listen  with  perfect  composure.  But  the  blow 
had  gone  home,  Mary  could  not  doubt ;  her  shrewd  percep- 
tion had  weeks  before  taught  her  that  this  man  was  more 
to  her  beautiful  cousin  than  any  other  of  his  sex,  and  in  her 
quiet,  reasoning  fashion  she  had  followed  the  line  of  Vio- 
let's scruples  and  arguments  against  the  folly  of  affection 
(of  course  never  dreaming  she  herself  counted  in  Miss 
Cameron's  determined  abnegation)  with  a  perspicuity  which 
many  women  of  double  her  age  and  experience  would  not 
have  shown. 

The  strongest  tide  of  sympathy  which  Mary's  eminently 
just  but  somewhat  circumscribed  mind  and  heart  had 
ever  felt,  rushed  over  her  in  this  monjent.  She  was  the 
most  undemonstrative  of  creatures — partly  from  shyness, 


EACH    BLUNDERS.  337 

partly  from  an  idea  that  protestations  were  silly  and  girl- 
ish— but  the  impulse  which  made  her  pause  when  she  had 
half  risen  with  outstretched  arms,  eager  to  enfold  and  shel- 
ter Violet,  did  not  spring  from  either  motive.  She  recol- 
lected that  such  behavior  might  cause  Violet  the  humiliation 
of  dreading  that  any  human  being  could  suppose  she 
required  comfort  ;  and  Mary  knew  the  proud  woman  would 
bear  her  pain  unflinchingly  if  only  she  might  believe  it 
unsuspected  by  others.  So  the  girl  dropped  back  into  her 
seat,  and  Violet  thought  she  had  been  upon  the  point  of 
breaking  down  completely,  but  had  checked  herself  in 
season  to  restrain  a  confession  which,  however  much  its 
utterance  might  relieve  her  for  the  moment,  would  always 
afterwards  remain  the  bitterest  memory  of  this  bitter  woe. 

Mary's  emotions  of  horror  and  sympathetic  grief  sud- 
denly changed  to  a  burst  of  anger  against  the  woman 
through  whose  assistance  such  pain  had  come  to  Violet. 

"  She  ought  to  be  burned  alive  !  Oh,  at  least  you  will 
never  let  her  enter  your  house  again  !" 

"  I  cannot  exclude  her  and  receive  him,"  Miss  Cameron 
replied  slowly,  wondering  a  little  if  the  girl,  like  so  many 
of  her  sex,  was  ready  to  seek  excuses  for  the  man  by  throw- 
ing the  onus  of  blame  upon  the  sharer  of  his  evil  conduct. 
"I  know,  Mary,  that  many  people — -even  good  people — act 
as  if  there  was  one  law  for  men  and  another  for  women, 
but  I  cannot  do  this — I  will  not  !" 

"No  !"  cried  Mary.  "  Oh,  I  hope  I  shall  never  see  his 
face  again  !  And  he  was  a  coward,  too — he  skulked  off  ! 
And  to  think  of  her  daring  to  hold  me  fast  and  begging 
for  sympathy  !  She  actually  did  !  She  was  so  wretched, 
and  his  tenderness  had  gone  straight  to  her  heart,  and — 
and — oh,  I  tell  you,  Violet,  I  feel  soiled,  degraded  !" 

And  Mary  burst  into  tears  again. 

"  No  wonder,  dear  child,  no  wonder  !" 

"  When  I  got  away  from  her  and  her  dreadful  confes- 
sions, he  met  me  !  I  suppose  he  had  had  time  to  think 
what  to  say.  He  was  less  reckless  than  she,  and  wanted 
me  to  believe  it  all  meant  nothing — but  she  had  made  that 
impossible,"  Mary  hurried  on,  eager  to  finish  the  revolting 
details,  though  urged  by  a  sense  of  duty  to  render  every- 
thing clear.  "  He  said — oh,  never  mind  his  words — I  don't 
remember  them  !" 

Her  abrupt  pause,  her  horrified  face,  were  proofs  to 
15 


338  EACH    BLUNDERS. 

Violet  that  the  man  had  chosen  that  moment  of  all  others 
to  declare  his  love,  believing  in  his  arrogant  vanity  that  he 
could  by  such  avowal  effectually  blind  the  girl. 

"  What  he  said  is  of  no  consequence,"  Violet  answered. 

"No,  no!  But  he  wanted  me  to  keep  it  from  you — 
then  I  flamed  out — then  you  came — that  is  all  !" 

"  That  is  all  !"  Violet  involuntarily  repeated,  with  such 
bitter  significance  in  her  tone  that  Mary's  sobs  increased. 

"Oh,  if  I  had  not  seen  it  !"  she  exclaimed.  "Not  that 
he  might  have  gone  on  deceiving  us,  but  if  somebody  else 
had  gone  there  instead  of  me  !" 

"My  dear,  perhaps  we  should  have  been  inclined  to 
doubt — we  cannot  now.  It  is  hard  to  have  one's  eyes 
opened,  but  in  such  a  case  the  sooner  the  better — you  feel 
this?" 

"  Yes,  if  you  do — I  mean,  of  course  !"  returned  Mary 
tacking  on  the  last  clause  with  great  energy  while  she  dried 
her  eyes. 

"  Then  there  is  no  more  to  be  said  just  now,"  observed 
Violet. 

"Oh,  it  is  no  good  to  talk  and  talk — nothing  ever  comes 
of  it  !"  cried  Mary,  comprehending  that  Violet  longed  to 
be  alone.  "  I  am  sure  we  ought  both  to  be  in  bed — it  i8 
fearfully  late." 

Violet  thought  the  girl  afraid  of  prolonging  the  conver- 
sation lest  she  should  yet  betray  herself,  and  rose  at  once. 
The  two  cousins  kissed  each  other  quietly  and  separated. 
Mary  crept  to  her  pillow,  and  lay  there  with  head  and 
heart  in  a  whirl  of  misery  which  made  all  past  trouble  look 
small  as  childish  griefs.  It  seemed  actually  as  if  an  earth- 
quake had  desolated  the  world,  leaving  utter  chaos  in  its 
wake.  Warner  gone  ;  Aylmer  treacherous  ;  Violet  wretched 
— the  whole  combination  of  horrors  so  complete,  so  unex- 
pected, it  appeared  like  a  dreadful  dream — all  except  the 
pain — that  was  real  enough  ;  but  it  spoke  volumes  for 
Mary's  unselfishness  that  even  in  these  first  hours,  sympathy 
for  her  cousin  was  so  strong  that  it  claimed  an  equal  place 
with  the  personal  grief  which  had  smitten  her  so  recently. 

No  tumult  disturbed  Violet's  mind  ;  no  feverish  agita- 
tion quickened  her  pulses  ;  a  deathly  coldness  enveloped 
her  soul,  amid  which  her  thoughts  fluttered  like  birds  gone 
astray  into  the  depths  of  an  Arctic  winter,  and  freezing 
slowly  amid  its  awful  chill. 


EACH    BLUNDERS.  339 

It  would  have  been  very  different  to  relinquish  Aylmer 
to  Mary,  believing  such  renunciation  for  their  mutual  hap- 
piness, from  losing  him  through  the  conviction  of  his 
worthlessness.  In  the  former  case  she  would  at  least  have 
kept  him  a  place  in  memory  as  her  ideal  of  manly  perfec- 
tion ;  but  now — now  !  And  worst  of  all,  her  weak  heart 
lifted  its  voice  and  moaned  bitterly  over  its  fallen  idol.  It 
had  been  comparatively  easy  to  stifle  its  rebellious  com- 
plaints while  she  deemed  him  worthy  of  Mary — considered 
it  plainly  a  duty,  for  his  sake,  to  cure  that  passing  fancy 
towards  herself,  and  foster,  by  every  means  in  her  power, 
his  affection  for  this  good,  pure  girl — but  it  was  different 
now.  Her  ideal  did  not  exist.  The  man  to  whom  she  had 
given  its  likeness  ranked  among  the  false  and  vicious  of  his 
sex  !  And  she  had  loved,  him  ! — yes,  loved  him  still  !  She 
could  not  deny  this  truth  ;  and  so  stood  abased  in  her  own 
sight. 

Violet  did  not  fall  asleep  until  after  daylight ;  but 
though  her  dull,  heavy  slumber  lasted  for  hours,  it  brought 
no  repose  :  she  woke  oppressed  by  the  same  sense  of  in- 
tense physical  and  mental  fatigue  which  had  been  her  last 
conscious  sensation. 

She  rang  for  Clarice,  who  speedily  appeared  with  the 
tea-tray,  and  the  information  that  the  clock  had  struck 
eleven.  Violet  saw  a  note  lying  on  her  plate.  Her  first 
thought  was  that  Aylmer  had  ventured  to  write  with  some 
audacious  hope  of  redeeming  himself,  even  yet,  in  her 
estimation.  But  Clarice  said  : 

"  Miss  Mary  bade  me  bring  that  letter  to  mademoiselle  ; 
she  could  not  wait  any  longer." 

"  Has  she  gone  out  ?"  Violet  asked,  marveling  at  the 
girl's  energy. 

"  Two  hours  ago  ;  in  such  haste  to  get  to  her  work ! 
Truly,  truly,  I  never  saw  so  active  a  demoiselle^  she  is  al- 
ways busy,"  said  Clarice,  shaking  her  head,  perhaps  to  ex- 
press doubt  whether  such  great  industry  was  exactly  deco- 
rous in  a  young  lady. 

Violet  motioned  the  woman  to  leave  her,  and  hastily 
opened  the  billet. 

"  I  shall  not  speak  of  what  has  happened  unless  you  do," 
Mary  wrote.  "  I  am  sorry  I  let  myself  betray  so  much  ex- 
citement ;  but  I  know  I  did  right  in  telling  you.  Please 
forgive  me,  and  be  sure  I  love  you  dearly,  and  am  very 


840  HER    LAST   EFFORT. 

grateful  to  you,  though  I  have  so  little  ability  to  express 
what  I  feel,  that  if  you  were  not  the  best  and  most  gener- 
ous woman  in  the  world,  you  would  very  often  doubt  both 
my  affection  and  my  gratitude." 

Brief  as  the  note  was,  its  composition  cost  Mary  a  great 
deal  of  trouble.  She  wanted  to  make  Violet  feel  at  ease  in 
her  society  ;  certain  of  not  being  irritated  and  hurt  by 
open  speech  or  galling  allusions  ;  yet  to  leave  her  undis- 
turbed by  any  suspicion  of  the  motive  which  caused  such 
reticence. 

Violet  read,  and  thought  :  "  The  brave  girl  ;  she  goes 
the  right  way  to  work  to  cure  herself,  and  she  will  do  it. 
All,  she  is  young  !  They  can  live  past  everything,  those 
young  people." 

The  proud  woman  shed  a  few  tears  in  her  solitude,  but 
they  were  an  additional  pang  instead  of  a  relief  ;  it  was 
disgraceful  for  her  to  sit  and  cry  like  some  miss  in  her  teens. 
She  felt  harder  towards  Laurence  Aylmer  with  each  burn- 
ing drop  that  fell  from  her  eyes.  This  should  be  the  end  ; 
she  would  receive  neither  him  nor  the  woman  again  ;  if 
necessary,  in  order  to  avoid  comments  and  questions,  she 
would  leave  Florence  very  soon.  After  all,  perhaps  this 
might  be  her  best  course.  A  change  would  benefit  Mary  | 
she  could  pursue  her  art  studies  in  Rome  or  Paris,  and 
might  find  life  easier  when  set  free  from  the  associations 
which  haunt  a  spot  where  one  has  known  bitter  grief,  be- 
coming daily  and  hourly  reminders  which  help  sorrow  to 
retain  its  tyrannical  sway. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

HER     LAST     EFFORT. 

]HEN  Laurence  Aylmer  hurried  away  from  Miss 
Cameron's  house,  the  uppermost  sensation  in 
the  chaotic  whirl  of  his  mind  was  a  fierce  indig- 
nation against  her  ;  a  wondering  horror  mingled 
therewith,  if  it  could  be  really  true  that  so  dire 
an  insult  had  been  heaped  upon  him.  Absolutely  turned 


HER    LAST   EFFORT.  341 

out  of  doors  ;  dismissed  with  cold  sternness,  like  an  imper- 
tinent lackey  !  It  was  so  incredible,  so  unlike  any  slight 
or  injury  which  a  gentleman  could  imagine  ever  befalling 
him,  that  it  appeared  fairly  a  delusion.  Aylrner  almost 
expected  to  wake  suddenly,  find  himself  in  his  own  rooms, 
and  discover  that  the  events  of  the  evening  existed  only  in 
his  troubled  fancy. 

lie  wandered  about  the  streets  for  hours,  not  re- 
turning to  his  lodgings  until  chill  gleams  of  light 
warned  him  that  day  was  at  hand.  He  slept  for  awhile, 
and  dreamed  of  sitting  beside  Violet,  and  telling  the  story 
of  his  love.  Not  the  faintest  shadow  separated  their  souls 
— not  a  recollection  of  the  past  month's  unrest,  or  the 
night's  bitter  trouble,  disturbed  the  course  of  that  beatific 
vision.  Of  course,  when  the  mocking  dream  faded,  its 
contrast  to  the  truth  rendered  reality  more  odious  ;  but  his 
first  excitement  had  died,  his  anger  was  gone.  No  wonder 
Miss  Cameron  had  dealt  him  that  verbal  blow.  She  must 
have  caught  Mary  Danvers's  passionate  outbreak — must 
have  seen  the  duchess  peer  in  at  the  door.  He  had,  even 
amid  the  confusion  of  his  faculties,  likened  her  to  some 
devil  incarnate,  pausing  to  exult  over  its  evil  work. 

The  ruin  was  irremediable.  Mary  would  describe  the 
whole  scene  to  her  cousin  ;  the  incoherent  appeal  he  had 
attempted  must  only  appear  an  additional  proof  of  his 
guilt.  Yes,  the  duchess  had  ruined  his  every  hope.  To 
tell  the  truth  would  only  cover  him  with  deeper  infamy  ; 
Miss  Cameron's  verdict,  and  every  other  person's,  would  be 
that  a  man  capable  of  intimating  a  woman  had  made  love 
to  him,  was  so  mean,  that  even  though  he  could  prove  his 
assertion,  he  deserved  a  greater  measure  of  contempt  than 
if  he  bore  in  silence  the  most  sweeping  circumstantial  evi- 
dence against  himself. 

The  day  passed  ;  he  could  not  bear  to  go  out — to  meet 
people — to  be  fretted  by  idle  talk.  He  began  several  let- 
ters to  Miss  Cameron,  and  tore  them  up  in  turn  ;  each 
seemed  more  insane  than  its  predecessor  in  its  vague  de- 
mands for  her  merciful  judgment  upon  an  occurrence  con- 
cerning which  he  had  no  explanation  to  offer.  Sometimes 
he  passionately  upbraided  her  in  his  thoughts,  and  anathe- 
matized his  own  folly  for  supposing  that  she  could  ever  be 
brought  to  care  fur  him.  Had  she  felt  the  slightest  tender- 
ness she  must  have  been  less  hasty  and  absolute  in  her  con- 


342  HER    LAST   EFFORT, 

demnation.  Then  his  mood  would  change,  and  he  ad- 
mitted that  she  was  right  to  behave  as  she  had  ;  no  pure- 
minded  woman  could  have  acted  otherwise.  Had  he  been 
her  betrothed  husband,  her  affection  might  well  have 
stopped  short  of  the  possibility  of  faith  in  his  blameless- 
ness. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  he  rode  out  ;  made  a  pretense  of 
dining  at  a  little  osteria  miles  away  from  Florence,  and  re- 
turned late  in  the  evening,  having  had  at  least  the  comfort 
of  escaping  the  sight  of  a  familiar  face. 

A  note  lay  on  his  writing-table.  It  was  from  the  Signora 
da  Rimini.  He  felt  inclined  to  tear  the  billet  up  unread  ; 
but  that  would  be  silly  ;  so  he  opened  it,  sickened  by  its 
perfume,  angry  at  the  illegibility  of  the  chirograph  y,  which 
rendered  much  close  attention  necessary  in  order  to  de- 
cipher the  page. 

"  Have  you  forgotten  that  I  told  you  I  should  expect 
to  see  you  to-day,  dear  friend?  I  have  waited  in  vain,  and 
your  failure  to  keep  your  promise  seems  unkind — although 
I  will  not  wrong  you  by  so  harsh  a  word,  even  in  my 
thoughts,  since  you  must  know  how  great  need  I  have  of 
your  advice. 

"  Heaven  only  can  imagine  the  tales  that  idiotic  girl 
may  invent  !  I  trust  to  your  friendship,  whatever  hap- 
pens, since  it  was  through  my  friendship  for  you  that  the 
trouble  arose.  I  need  not  say  that  I  forgive  you  :  this  note 
is  of  itself  a  proof." 

Go  near  her  !  Not  he  !  Let  her  say  and  do  what  she 
pleased  :  she  was  powerless  to  harm  him  further.  She  had 
ruined  his  life  ;  let  her  rest  content  with  her  work,  and 
leave  him  alone  ! 

The  next  day,  a  commission  which  he  had  received  from 
the  professor  took  him  into  the  street  where  the  odious 
woman  lived.  He  was  hurrying  past  the  gloomy  old  palace 
without  even  a  glance,  but,  as  he  reached  the  entrance,  a 
carriage  drove  up.  He  raised  his  eyes,  and  saw  the  duchess. 
She  leaned  forward,  and  said  :  "I  am  back  just  in  time  to 
receive  your  visit.  Thanks  for  coming.  I  thought  I  should 
find  you  on  my  return." 

She  gave  him  one  of  her  sweetest  smiles,  but  a  quick 
fancy  crossed  his  mind  that  the  great  black  eyes  held  a  cer- 
tain menace  in  their  slumberous  depths.  He  stood  for  a 
second  irresolute  whether  he  should  go  in  or  walk  on,  re- 


HER    LAST   EFFORT.  843 

gardless  of  her  speech  ;  saw  her  look  back  ;  took  a  sudden 
resolution  and  followed  the  landau  into  the  courtyard.  So 
much  the  better  if  she  were  angry,  and  showed  it  by  bitter 
or  upbraiding  words  ;  in  that  case  her  conduct  might  afford 
him  the  relief  of  frank,  honest  avowals. 

By  the  time  he  traversed  the  quadrangle  the  footman 
had  opened  the  carriage-door  ;  the  duchess  was  waiting. 
He  could  do  no  less  than  offer  his  arm  for  her  to  descend, 
and  she  kept  her  hand  upon  it  as  they  mounted  the  stairs, 
talking  pleasantly  the  while  about  indifferent  matters,  but 
with  an  audible  tremor  in  her  voice,  intended  to  impress 
upon  him  the  fact  that  her  idle  remarks  were  only  for  the 
benefit  of  the  servant  who  followed  with  her  wraps. 

They  reached  her  favorite  salon  ;  the  instant  the  door 
closed  behind  the  domestic,  the  duchess  flung  herself 
into  a  seat,  and  put  both  hands  before  her  face,  exclaim- 
ing : 

"  Oh,  Aylmer,  Aylmer,  how  could  you  leave  me  all  this 
dreary  time  without  a  word  of  consolation  or  advice  !" 

She  had  made  up  her  mind  what  to  do  ;  if  any  encour- 
agement on  her  part  would  lead  him  into  an  exhibition  of 
tenderness,  such  encouragement  should  not  be  wanting  ; 
whatever  his  real  feelings,  she  would  take  him  away  from 
Violet  Cameron  if  it  were  possible. 

"  Without  a  word,"  she  repeated.  "  Oh,  it  was  cruel, 
cruel !" 

Each  syllable  she  uttered  only  added  to  his  exaspera- 
tion ;  the  very  grace  of  her  attitude  only  made  him  think 
of  a  snake,  and  increased  his  loathing. 

"  I  could  not  suppose  that  my  coming  was  of  the  slight- 
est importance,  or  my  advice  either,  if  I  had  any  to  offer 
upon  any  subject,"  he  answered,  in  a  voice  elaborately 
courteous,  but  hard  as  iron. 

The  duchess  peeped  at  him  through  her  fingers  ;  the 
face  she  saw  was  hard  as  the  voice  which  had  warned  her 
that  so  far  her  burst  of  emotion  produced  no  visible  effect. 

"Both  were  of  vital  consequence,"  she  said.  "Think 
of  the  position  in  which  I  am  placed  ;  my  reputation  at  the 
mercy  of  that  girl  and  her  cousin  ;  a  garbled  story  likely 
to  reach  my  husband's  ears — and  I  am  afraid  of  him  ;  yes, 
afraid  !" 

She  still  kept  her  hands  raised,  and  sobbed  and  choked 
in  the  most  artistic  manner  ;  but  Laurence  would  have 


344  HER    LAST   EFFORT. 

appeared  deaf  and  utterly  indifferent,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  obstinate  expression  which  showed  in  every  feature. 

"  Aylmer,  Aylmer  !"  she  exclaimed,  piteously,  as  he 
remained  silent  under  her  appeals. 

"  I  can  assure  you  of  one  thing,"  he  said,  slowly,  "  you 
have  no  need  to  disquiet  yourself  where  those  ladies  are 
concerned." 

She  let  her  hands  drop  ;  her  eyes  flashed  as  she  asked  : 

"They  talked  with  you;  what  did  they  say  ?  I  insist 
upon  knowing  ;  I  have  the  right, " 

"  Oh,  it  is  very  easy  to  tell,"  he  interrupted,  with  a 
bitter  little  laugh.  "  Miss  Cameron  asked  me  to  leave  her 
house  ;  our  interview  began  and  ended  with  that  request." 

"  Dio  mio  /"  groaned  the  diu-hess,  and  hid  her  face 
again,  but  this  time  to  conceal  the  exultation  she  knew  it 
must  betray.  "  Was  that  all  ?  what  did  you  do  ?" 

"  I  found  it  quite  enough,"  he  replied  ;  "  I  obeyed,  of 
course !  I  think  I  met  you  and  gave  you  my  arm  down 
stairs." 

The  duchess  had  found  leisure  to  school  her  counte- 
nance anew.  She  rose  suddenly,  hesitated  for  a  second, 
then  hurried  towards  him,  holding  out  both  hands. 

"Don't  mind,"  she  said,  her  voice  trembling  with  an 
eagerness  which  was  unfeigned.  "  If  my  friendship  can  be 
of  the  slightest  comfort,  be  sure  you  have  it  !  Oh,  I  was 
selfish  ;  see,  I  don't  care !  No  matter  what  comes,  I  am 
your  friend ;  no  matter  at  what  cost,  I  am  ready  to 
prove  it." 

Aylmer  did  not  offer  to  take  the  extended  hands  ;  he 
looked  full  at  her,  and  said  with  a  cold  smile  : 

"  Madame  da  Rimini  does  me  too  much  honor.  Our 
brief  acquaintance  could  afford  me  no  claim  to  accept  a 
sacrifice  of  any  sort  from  her  goodness." 

"It  would  be  none  !"  she  exclaimed,  laying  her  clasped 
hands  on  his  shoulder.  "  Oh,  Aylmer,  don't  you  under- 
stand ?" 

He  did  not  stir — not  a  line  of  his  face  changed. 

"  I  ought  perhaps  to  be  able  to  thank  you  for  your 
offered  friendship,"  he  said,  in  the  same  chill,  monotonous 
tone,  "  but  I  am  a  dull  man  ;  at  present  I  can  only  think  of 
the  one  thing  which  is  of  any  moment  in  my  life." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  she  asked,  removing  her  hands 


HER    LAST   EFFORT.  345 

from  his  shoulder  and  retreating  a  few  steps,  the  better  to 
look  at  him  with  her  angry  eyes. 

"  I  mean  that  I  have  lost  the  last  hope  of  winning  the 
one  woman  I  ever  loved,  or  ever  shall  love,"  he  answered. 

Certainly,  when  he  entered  the  room  he  had  no  thought 
of  making  the  confession,  but  her  words  and  manner 
goaded  him  into  such  wrath  that  it  was  a  relief  to  fling  the 
avowal  at  her,  for  the  meekest  man  alive  could  not  have 
helped  admitting  to  himself  that  the  lady  meant  him  to  be 
tender  and  adoring. 

"You  love  Violet  Cameron  ?"  the  duchess  fairly  gasped. 

"With  all  my  heart  and  soul  !"  he  replied  steadily. 

The  woman  turned  livid  through  her  rouge  ;  her  eyes 
blazed  ;  her  hands  involuntarily  clenched  themselves,  as  she 
hissed  out : 

"  You  tell  me  that  to  my  face — you  dare  !" 

"  I  thought  such  frankness  the  best  proof  I  could  give 
of  how  thoroughly  I  appreciate  the  offer  of  friendship  you 
just  made,"  returned  he  ;  and  now  a  faint  tone  of  mockery 
was  audible  in  his  slow,  passionless  speech. 

The  duchess  retreated  still  farther  ;  one  hand  caught  at 
the  ruff  which  encircled  her  throat — her  eyes  were  posi- 
tively terrible  as  they  glanced  towards  a  dagger  lying  upon 
the  table  by  her  side — and  the  fingers  of  the  other  hand 
worked  convulsively,  as  if  ready  to  seize  it.  Her  Sicilian 
blood  was  roused  to  its  hottest  fury  ;  the  animal  instinct  to 
kill — destroy — seized  her  with  its  fullest  might. 

In  another  instant  she  dropped  into  a  chair,  and  pointed 
to  the  door. 

"  Go  out  !"  she  said,  in  a  voice  so  choked  that,  except 
for  the  gesture,  her  words  would  have  been  unintelligible. 
"  Go  this  instant  !" 

"  Good-morning,  madame,"  Aylmer  said,  as  calmly  as  if 
ending  the  most  commonplace  interview. 

He  bowed  as  he  spoke,  and  walked  away.  Before  he 
had  taken  a  dozen  steps  he  heard  her  call  imperiously  : 

"  Stop  !" 

He  turned  slowly ;  the  duchess  moved  forward  till  she 
stood  within  a  few  paces  of  him  ;  her  face  was  actually  dis- 
torted wilh  rage,  and  her  eyes  glared  like  a  panther's. 

"  You  have  insulted   me,"  she  said,  in  a  breathless  way. 
"  In  my  country  we  avenge  insults,  do  you  know  ?" 
15* 


346  HER    LAST   EFFORT. 

"  In  what  manner  have  I  erred,  madame  ?"  he  asked, 
composedly. 

"  So  you  wanted  to  marry  Violet  Cameron  !"  she  har- 
ried on.  "  Well,  you  shall  never  do  it — remember  that  !" 

"  I  had  just  informed  you,  madame,  that  any  such  hope 
had  been  killed  in  my  heart,"  he  answered. 

"  Your  heart  !"  she  repeated.  "  You  have  none.  You 
wanted  her  money — everybody  knows  that — don't  try  to 
deceive  me  !" 

Aylmer  started  as  if  she  had  struck  him  ;  checked  the 
words  which  sprang  to  his  lips  ;  bowed  again,  and  walked 
on.  The  duchess  rushed  past,  and  stood  between  him  and 
the  door. 

"  Wait  till  I  have  finished  !"  she  ordered  ;  "  even  a  bar- 
barian from  America  should  have  knowledge  enough  of 
civilized  usages  to  show  as  much  decency  as  that  !" 

"  I  am  listening,  madame." 

It  was  well  the  duchess  had  not  the  dagger  within  reach 
at  this  instant  ;  she  certainly  would  have  stabbed  him  be- 
fore getting  her  senses  back  sufficiently  to  reflect  She 
shut  her  eyes  for  a  little  ;  her  head  reeled,  and  she  saw 
every  object  through  a  sort  of  red  haze,  from  the  force  with 
which  the  blood  mounted  to  her  brain. 

"You  lie  when  you  say  you  have  given  up  hope!" 
she  cried.  "You  think  to  make  your  peace  by  sacrificing 
me  !  You  will  say  that  I  made  love  to  you  ;  why,  you  are 
such  a  dolt  that  perhaps  you  thought  I  meant  to — thought 
I  cared  for  you  !  Come,  I'll  tell  you  the  truth — that  shall 
be  the  beginning  of  my  revenge  !" 

Her  breath  failed  her  again — she  was  obliged  to  pause. 
He  stood  waiting  till  she  should  be  pleased  to  continue. 

"  I  hated  Violet  Cameron,"  she  went  on  presently.  "  I 
knew  it  would  fret  her  to  see  any  man  devoted  to  me — 
not  that  she  cared  for  you,  or  ever  would  have  done.  And 
I  had  another  reason  for  wanting  your  attentions  ;  because, 
if  I  seemed  to  tolerate  them,  it  would  tease  another  man — 
a  man  I  love.  Do  you  hear  ?" 

"  Shall  I  leave  you  now,  madame?"  asked  Aylmer. 

"  And  if  she  had  been  fool  enough  to  love  you,"  pursued 
the  duchess,  "you  should  not  have  her  !  If  there  were  a 
hope  of  your  making  your  peace,  I'd  ruin  it,  if  I  had  to 
swear  that  you  had  been  my  lover — yes,  I  would  !  Let  me 
tell  you  the  person  she  loves  as  much  as  she  is  capable  of  lov- 


HER    LAST   EFFORT.  347 

ing — Carlo  Magnoletti  ;  and  he  wanted  her  to  marry  you 
because  that  would  make  matters  easier  for  him — he  told 
me  so " 

Before  she  could  end  her  sentence,  Aylmer  was  gone. 
He  hurried  out  of  the  house.  A  fiacre  was  passing  as  he 
reached  the  street  ;  he  hailed  it,  jumped  in,  and  bade  the 
coachman  drive  to  the  Porta  Rotnana,  and  then  take  the 
Straka  dei  Colli — the  pictureesque  road  which  winds  np 
the  hill  qf  San  Miniato,  on  whose  summit  frowns  the  old. 
convent  That  Michel  Angelo  once  fortified.  Near  by  stands 
the  cypress-guarded  little  church  which  the  great  sculptor 
called  his  "  country  maid  ;"  and  just  below  stretches  the 
piazza  bearing  his  name,  with  a  bronze  statue  of  the  David 
lifting  his  inspired  front  to  the  blue  sky. 

Ay  liner  dismissed  the  carriage  at  the  top  of  the  ascent, 
and  wandered  about  ;  saw  the  sun  set  over  the  beautiful 
city  nestled  in  the  valley  beneath  ;  saw  the  twilight  shadows 
gather  over  Monte  Morello  and  the  long  range  of  purple 
hills  ;  watched  the  moon  rise  and  glorify  every  object  with 
its  radiance  ;  and  felt,  as  we  all  do  in  moments  of  keen 
suffering,  that  every  sight  and  sound  of  beauty  and  peace 
became  an  additional  pang. 

At  last  he  descended  the  zigzag  paths  and  flights  of 
steps  which  lead  directly  down  to  the  Porta  San  Niccolo, 
crossed  the  Ponte  alle  Grazie  (or  rather,  the  modern 
structure  which  the  mania  for  improving  and  destroying 
has  given  us  in  place  of  the  old  bridge,  with  its  storied 
dwellings  where  sanctified  nuns  dwelt  in  other  days),  and 
returned  to  his  lodgings. 

The  porter  told  him  that  his  German  friend  had  called 
during  his  absence — "  the  fierce  signore  with  the  beard." 
So  the  professor  had  come  back  sooner  than  he  intended  ; 
but  Aylmer  could  not  feel  sorry  at  having  missed  him. 
The  keen-eyed  savant  would  quickly  have  discovered  that 
something  was  amiss,  and  been  troubled  by  Laurence's 
inability  to  explain,  though  no  doubt  he  would  have  taken 
great  pains  to  hide  his  disquietude  under  an  affectation  of 
extreme  crustiness. 

Aylmer  found  several  letters  lying  on  his  table,  and  he 
opened  them  one  after  another,  more  to  occupy  his  thoughts 
for  a  few  minutes  than  because  he  cared  to  learn  their 
contents. 

Among  them  was  an  epistle  from  America,  bringing 


848  HER    LAST   EFFORT. 

news  of  the  death  of  the  relative  after  whom  he  inherited 
the  large  fortune  which  had  been  hers  for  life — a  distant 
cousin  of  his  father's  whom  he  had  seen  but  twice,  so  that 
no  regret  for  her  loss  could  mingle  with  his  reflections. 

There  was  also  unlooked-for  tidings  in  regard  to  those 
speculations  he  had  been  drawn  into  by  George  Danvers. 
One  of  the  mines  had  resumed  work,  a  new  drift  having 
been  discovered,  so  valuable  that  stockholders  might  soon 
expect  to  receive  dividends  ;  and  the  prosperous  state  of 
affairs  was  considered  so  certain  by  competent  judges,  that 
the  shares  had  already  gone  up  enough  in  the  market  to 
render  their  sale  a  profitable  affair  to  any  person  who 
^wished  to  be  rid  of  his  portion. 

And  the  good  tidings  came,  as  it  so  often  does  to 
mortals,  at  the  very  moment  when  it  seemed  an  added 
mockery  on  the  part  of  fate,  after  snatching  away  the  only 
gift  which  could  bring  happiness. 

Aylmer  flung  the  letters  upon  the  table,  and  buried  his 
face  in  his  hands.  For  the  time  even  his  courage,  his  power 
of  endurance,  had  deserted  him  ;  his  burden  seemed 
harder  than  he  could  bear. 

And  the  duchess  ? 

A  few  seconds  after  Aylmer's  departure,  the  door  of  an 
inner  salon  opened.  Madame  da  Rimini  looked  up,  and 
saw  Giorgio  Dimetri  standing  upon  the  threshold,  intently 
regarding  her,  with  a  smile  upon  his  handsome,  evil  face. 

"What  are  you  doing  there?"  she  called. 

"The  servant  informed  me  that  you  had  a  visitor.  Like 
a  well-bred  creature  I  waited  in  the  next  room  till  he  took 
his  departure,"  replied  the  Greek.  "  Of  course  I  was 
bound  to  wait,  because  you  had  appointed  this  time  for 
another  little  trial,  to  be  certain  that  you  are  perfect  in  the 
art  of  dealing  cards  at  baccarat." 

The  duchess  looked  at  him  fixedly. 

"  You  could  hear  every  word,"  she  said.  "  That  door 
does  not  latch.  How  long  were  you  in  the  other  room  ?" 

"  Only  a  few  minutes,"  he  answered.  "  I  heard  you 
tell  the  American  your  reasons  for  wanting  his  attentions." 

"  Dimetri  !"  cried  the  duchess,  "  you  say  you  love  me 
— you  say  you  are  jealous  of  that  man — yet  you  let  him 
live — you,  the  best  swordsman  in  Italy — you,  that  are  one 
of  the  few  men  living  who  know  the  secret  of  Lachasse's 
thrust  !" 


STILL    HER     WORK.  349 

She  spoke  very  quietly — an  awful  smile  on  her  lips. 

"  I  love  you,"  he  replied  ;  and  though  his  voice  was  as 
low  as  hers,  it  held  a  ring  of  repressed  passion,  accentuated 
by  the  eager  light  in  his  eyes.  "  lie  lives  because  you  told 
me  that  if  I  quarreled  with  him  I  should  never  see  your 
face  again.  1  have  been  very  patient,  and  I  am  not  a 
patient  man " 

"  You  have  the  proof  that  I  told  you  the  truth  when  I 
said  I  was  playing  a  game  where  he  was  concerned,"  she 
interrupted. 

"I  have  proof,  at  least,  that  you  hate  him  now — and 
after  ?" 

"Ah,"  exclaimed  the  duchess,  with  an  indescribable 
emphasis  of  ferocity,  "  the  rest  is  in  your  hands  !  Go 
away — I  am  in  no  mood  for  baccarat — go  !" 

"  And  when  shall  I  come  back?" 

"  When  you  have  done  your  work,"  she  answered. 

For  a  moment  they  stood  gazing  full  into  each  other's 
eyes  with  glances  of  terrible  significance.  Then  the 
duchess  waved  her  hand  in  dismissal,  and  he  went  silently 
out  of  the  room. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

STILL   HER    WORK. 

|ARY  DANVERS  stood  in  one  of  the  library- 
windows,  looking  out  through  the  twilight 
across  the  shadowy  garden.  During  these  two 
days  no  allusion  had  been  made  by  Violet  or 
herself  to  that  evening  whose  events  gave  so 
much  occupation  to  the  minds  of  both.  Mary  knew  that 
her  cousin  suffered  terribly,  little  sign  as  she  gave.  Violet 
marveled  at  the  courage  with  which  the  girl  supported  the 
blow  that  had  befallen  her,  but,  fearful  of  inflicting  fresh 
wounds,  abstained  from  sympathy  either  in  look  or  word  ; 
and  Mary,  animated  by  similar  feelings,  was  equally  care- 
ful in  her  turn. 

Could  Violet  have  known  the  truth   in  regard  to  her 
young  relative,  she  might  have  admired  her  courage  even 


350  STILL    HER     WORK. 

more,  for  Mary  was  bearing  that  heaviest  of  human  bur- 
dens— suspense  ;  bearing  it  too  with  the  consciousness  that 
these  were  only  the  birth-throes  of  a  pain  which  might 
last  an  indefinite  time — months— years — oh,  perhaps  never 
to  be  stilled  in  this  world. 

But  her  dread  of  exaggeration — her  method  of  rigidly 
inspecting  all  matters  to  be  certain  what  was  real,  what 
fancy  (a  habit  not  growing  out  of  any  lack  of  imagination, 
only  the  result  of  guarding  against  the  encroachments  of 
that  faculty  upon  the  judgment),  stood  her  in  good  stead 
now,  and  prevented  the  unmeasured  grief  which  most  per- 
sons of  her  age  would  have  indulged. 

Gilbert  Warner  had  gone  away  loving  her — common- 
sense  assured  her  there  was  every  evidence  of  this,  and 
therefore  she  could  not  think-their  separation  lasting,' dol- 
orous as  the  circumstances  rendered  it. 

Impossible  for  her  to  make  any  sign  so  long  as  he  re- 
mained silent — the  bare  chance  that  her  first  fears  might 
have  held  some  truth  must  hinder  her — but  she  could  wait  ! 
And  there  were  things  in  her  favor  ;  he  would  communi- 
cate with  his  friends,  learn  at  length  that  his  suspicions  of 
her  caring  for  another  were  unfounded,  and  the  knowledge 
might  of  itself  open  his  eyes. 

The  proofs  which  brought  her  so  great  comfort  grew 
in  number  and  strength  as  she  reviewed  the  course  of  their 
acquaintance.  Why,  the  very  keeping  the  portrait  he 
had  painted  for  Violet  was  enough  to  show  that  he  had 
not  been  indifferent.  And  he  had  kept  it,  she  knew — it 
was  to  follow  him  on  his  journey — Miss  Vaughton  had  told 
her  so  the  morning  after  his  departure.  When  Mary 
reached  the  studio,  she  found  the  venerable  lady  in  a  state 
of  great  wonderment  and  regret,  declaring  over  and  over, 
according  to  the  habit  of  women  of  her  type  when  sur- 
prised by  unexpected  tidings,  that  anybody  might  have 
knocked  her  down  with  a  feather  on  the  reception  of  the 
news. 

"  Why,  you  had  been  gone  but  a  little  while  when  he 
came  bustling  in — so  hurried  lie  had  hardly  time  to  say 
good-by — and  no  wonder,  with  his  trunks  to  pack  yet,  and 
forty  other  things  to  do.  I'm  sure  he  must  have  forgotten 
half  he  wanted  to  take — not  an  under-shirt  with  him,  I'll 
warrant — young  men  are  so  careless  !" 

Mary,  busy  with  her  own  reflections,  lost  the  thread  of 


STILL    HER     WORK.  351 

the  old  lady's  discourse,  and  the  benefit  of  a  harrowing  tale 
of  what  had  once  befallen  a  youthful  relative  of  Miss 
Vaughton's,  from  forgetfulness  of  those  useful  garments. 

When  she  could  listen  again,  the  prophetess  was  chant- 
ing slowly  : 

"  But,  as  he  said,  if  he  had  got  here  too  late  he  could  go 
to  the  house  and  see  you.  Yes,  indeed  ;  of  course  you 
were  surprised — I  don't  need  to  be  told  that,"  she  added, 
as  defiantly  as  if  Mary  had  cast  a  slight  upon  her  by  pro- 
testations of  astonishment.  "  And  one  box  to  be  sent  after 
him — James  offered  to  attend  to  it — the  pictures  couldn't 
be  packed  in  time.  Oh,  I  was  not  to  mention  about 
that " 

"  Mention  what  ?"  Mary  asked,  as  the  old  lady  paused 
and  stared  in  a  helpless  way. 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure  !  Or  was  it  the  studio  man's  trying  to 
cheat  I  was  not  to  speak  of  ?"  pursued  Miss  Vaughton. 
"  Really,  with  so  much  put  on  one's  mind  all  at  once,  no 
wonder  one  gets  confused — now  is  it?" 

"  Certainly  not  !  But  there  can  be  no  secret  connected 
with  his — Mr.  Warner's  pictures,"  said  Mary. 

"  Ah,  one  never  knows  what  there  may  be  secrets  about 
in  a  young  man's  life  !"  cried  Miss  Vaughton,  with  an  air 
of  profound  wisdom.  "  Not  but  what  Gilbert  is  a  model 
— no  danger  of  his  secrets  being  wrong — no,  no — don't  tell 
me  that — nobody — nobody  need  tell  me  that  !" 

"  So  the  pictures  are  to  be  packed  and  sent  after  him," 
continued  Mary,  regai'dless  of  this  energetic  outburst,  in 
her  desire  to  learn  if  the  thought  which  sprang  up  in  her 
mind  was  well  founded. 

"  Oh  yes — now  if  that  was  the  secret,  or  whether  it  was 
about  Miss  Lane — oh  no,  it  was  Leonard  Gowan  who  was 
engaged  to  her  !  Dear  me,  so  many  young  men  and  their 
affairs — and  always  the  same — though  Gilbert's  worry  was 
over  his  pictures  too  ;  but  worry  as  he  might,  they  couldn't 
be  packed  in  time — and  he  put  yours  in  because  he  said  he 
wanted  to  work  on  it  more.  Oh,  I  wasn't  to  mention  it ; 
but  no  matter,  it  is  your  cousin  he  wants  to  surprise  with 
it,  and  you  are  not  her,  though,  Mary,  as  good  a  girl  as  ever 
lived,  I  know  ;  and  what  is  beauty — skin  deep — not  to  say 
you  are  plain  and  may  equal  her  yet,  though  James  says  she 
really  is  a  marvel,  and  enough  to  drive  a  sculptor  or  painter 
mad  ;  though,  as  I  told  him,  good  gracious,  that's  not  the 


852  STILL    HER     WORE. 

sort  of  thing  to  say  of  any  lady,  married  or  not ;  and, 
Mary,  it  really  is  odd,  with  all  her  admirers " 

But  luckily  her  old  tyrant  of  a  servant  summoned  her 
at  the  instant,  and  left  Mary  free  to  reflect  on  that  one 
clause  in  her  rambling  account  so  pregnant  with  meaning. 

News  she  had  this  day  received  from  America  helped  to 
render  hopefulness  easier.  If  matters  went  on  as  they  had 
begun,  her  father's  debts  could  be  paid,  and  his  memory 
freed  from  any  aspersion.  Ah  !  in  the  presence  of  such 
probability  she  would  be  utterly  wicked  to  sit  down  and 
moan  over  her  own  private  woes  ;  then,  too,  the  fact  that  a 
change  so  unexpected,  so  cheering,  could  come  in  regard  to 
things  which  had  seemed  irrevocably  settled,  was  a  good 
omen  for  Fate's  kindness  in  other  particulars,  however  dark 
the  present  might  look. 

Mary's  meditations  were  interrupted  by  her  cousin's 
entrance. 

"  Have  we  kept  you  waiting  for  dinner  until  you  are 
famished  ?"  Violet  asked,  as  she  approached  the  window. 

"  Oh  no,  I  had  pleasant  company,"  Mary  answered, 
holding  up  her  book  ;  then  her  troublesome  conscience 
smote  her,  as  it  always  did  at  the  slightest  approach  to  pre- 
varication ;  but  Miss  Bronson  appeared  at  the  instant  and 
made  herself  involuntarily  the  aid  of  conscience,  as  it  was 
natural  so  virtuous  a  woman  always  should. 

"My  dear,  I  hope  you  were  not  trying  to  read  by  this 
dim  light,"  she  said  ;  "  there  is  nothing  so  bad  for  the 
eyes." 

"No  ;  I  shut  my  book  sometime  since," returned  Mary. 

"I  was  glad  you  did  not  go  with  us,"  continued  Miss 
Cameron  ;  "  the  tramontana  is  blowing,  and  it  would  have 
been  bad  for  your  throat." 

"  I  think  you  ought  to  tie  something  round  your  neck, 
Mary,"  added  Miss  Bronson. 

"It  is  so  warm  here  !"  pleaded  she. 

"  And  one  is  so  hideous  muffled  up  ;  I'd  rather  have  a 
sore  throat,  I  am  sure,"  cried  Miss  Cameron. 

"  What  a  sentiment !  what  an  example  to  set  Mary  if 
she  were  to  believe  you  in  earnest  !"  ejaculated  Eliza. 

But  her  expostulations  were  checked  by  a  servant's  an- 
nouncing Professor  Schmidt. 

"  He  wanted  to  make  sure  you  were  visible,"  called  the 
savant,  "  but  I  would  not  wait  ;  I  came  on  purpose  to  get 


STILL    HER     WORK  353 

my  dinner,  and  I  must  have  it  !  How  do  you  all  do?  You 
look  like  the  three  Fates  in  this  gloom,"  lie  continued,  for 
the  professor  had  a  horror  of  sitting  in  the  twilight. 

"I  think  you  might  find  a  more  poetical  comparison  to 
greet  us  with,  after  your  cruel  absence,"  said  Violet,  hurry- 
ing forward  to  meet  him  with  outstretched  hands.  "I  am 
delighted  to  see  you  back  !  We  did  not  venture  to  hope 
for  that  pleasure  before  to-morrow  ;  and  how  nice  of  you 
to  think  of  coming  to  dine  with  us." 

"  I  always  like  to  gratify  my  worthy  friend  Adolf 
Schmidt  when  I  can,"  replied  the  professor.  "Besides, 
when  I  got  home  I  found  the  tailor  had  sent  me  a  new 
dress-coat,  and  I  wanted  you  all  to  admire  it." 

Even  Miss  Bronson  laughed  heartily  at  the  recollections 
aroused  by  his  words,  and  the  old  savant  released  Violet's 
hands  from  his  sturdy  grasp,  and  passed  on  to  seize  the 
spinster's  with  the  energy  which  he  put  into  every  action. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Bronson,  I  am  glad  to  find  that  you  have 
survived  my  absence  !  I  have  been  greatly  troubled — was 
on  the  point  of  turning  back  before  I  reached  Bologna.  I 
had  such  terrible  fears  that  my  departure  really  might  be 
more  than  your  sensitive  nature  could  endure  ;  but  you 
seem  to  have  borne  it  better  than  I  dared  to  hope." 

"I  consoled  myself  by  looking  forward  to  your  return," 
replied  the  spinster,  with  an  appreciation  she  seldom  vouch- 
safed his  humorously-teasing  speeches. 

"  And  how  is  my  American  sweetbriar  ?"  continued  the 
professor,  addressing  Mary.  "It  is  so  dark,  I  can't  see  any 
of  your  faces.  Of  all  unaccountable  fancies,  this  sitting  in 
Cimmerian  blackness  is  the  most  outrageous." 

"  Luckily,  here  comes  Antonio  to  announce  dinner," 
said  Violet  ;  "  so  give  me  your  arm,  professor,  and  you  shall 
be  taken  in  search  of  a  little  light." 

They  were  scarcely  seated  at  table  before  the  savant 
asked  : 

"  And  how  is  Laurence  Aylmer  ?  I  drove  to  his  rooms 
on  my  way  from  the  station,  but  the  wretched  fellow  was 
out,"" 

It  chanced  that  Violet  and  Mary  were  glancing  towards 
each  other  as  the  professor  spoke,  and  both  averted  their 
eyes  with  a  sort  of  guilty  consciousness. 

"  Quite  well,  I  fancy,"  Miss  Cameron  said  indifferently. 

"  Why,  Violet,"  exclaimed  Miss  Bronson,   "  he  has  uot 


354  STILL    HER     WORK. 

been  here  for  two  days — not  since  your  reception — and  he 
went  away  so  suddenly  that  I  thought  it  odd  !" 

"Two  days — what  an  immense  period  !"  said  Violet, 
laughing.  "  Yon  see,  professor,  that  Miss  Bronson  is  as 
accurate  as  ever." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  see,"  returned  the  professor,  his  quick  ear 
struck  by  an  undefinable  something  in  Violet's  tone,  care- 
lessly as  she  spoke  ;  but  she  began  asking  questions  about 
his  little  excursion  to  Verona,  and  he  followed  the  lead  she 
gave  the  conversation. 

In  a  few  minutes,  however,  he  again  made  mention  of 
Aylmer.  He  noticed  that  it  was  Miss  Bronson  who 
replied  ;  and  this  time  Mary  began-  talking  of  something 
else  as  soon  as  the  spinster  gave  her  an  opportunity. 

Before  the  dinner  had  half  ended,  the  professor  felt 
confident  that  something  had  happened  to  offend  Miss 
Cameron,  and  that  Mary  Danvers  shared  in  the  secret  ;  but 
what  his  beloved  Laurence  could  have  done  to  annoy  her 
was  more  than  he  could  conceive,  and  he  could  not  at 
present  relieve  his  mind  by  any  inquiries. 

The  professor's  spectacled  eyes  could  see  very  clearly 
if  he  had  special  motives  therefor ;  and  when  Violet 
avoided  hearing  some  mention  he  made  of  Madame  da 
Rimini,  he  could  have  sworn  that  the  woman  was  at  the 
bottom  of  whatever  disturbance  or  misconception  had 
arisen.  He  had  many  times  warned  his  two  favorites,  and 
the  Magnoletti  also,  that  if  they  continued  to  tolerate  the 
duchess  she  would  work  mischief  in  some  fashion,  though 
he  had  expected  Carlo's  gambling  propensities  to  cause  the 
trouble  i-ather  than  any  ability  on  her  part  to  aleniate  Miss 
Cameron  and  Aylmer. 

However,  the  dinner  passed  off  gayly  enough,  and 
Violet  seemed  in  her  usual  spirits.  While  they  were 
taking  coffee,  she  said  : 

"Professor,  you  must  do  me  a  favor.  I  am  going  to 
Lady  Harcourt's.  You  have  never  been,  in  spite  of  all  her 
invitations.  Now,  be  amiable,  and  accompany  me.  There 
will  only  be  a  few  people — people  you  know,  too." 

"  Ugh  !"  said  the  professor,  with  a  grimace. 

"  You  must !"  persisted  Violet.  "  Miss  Bronson  has 
another  engagement,  and  you  cannot  possibly  leave  a 
timid,  tender  young  creature  like  myself  to  enter  a  salon 


STILL    HER     WOUK.  355 

cliaperonless  and  unprotected  ;  besides,  you  want  an  oppor- 
tunity to  display  your  new  coat." 

"  That  is  an  irresistible  inducement — I'll  go,"  said  the 
professor. 

He  knew  that  in  all  probability  Aylmer  would  be  there, 
and  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  explanation  of  the  mystery  he 
had  discovered — if  Laurence  could  give  any — was  enough 
to  dispose  the  savant  to  compliance  with  Violet's  request. 

Mary  remained  with  the  professor  while  the  other  two 
ladies  went  to  Miss  Bronson's  room,  the  spinster  at  the  last 
moment  being  undecided  between  the  merits  of  a  couple  of 
head-dresses,  and  pathetically  begging  Violet's  judgment 
thereupon. 

"So  you  are  working  hard,  my  little  girl,"  said  the  pro- 
fessor, when  they  were  left  alone.  "  Too  hard,  I  am  afraid. 
You  look  somewhat  tired." 

"  I  ?     Oh  no " 

"  None  of  that !"  interrupted  the  savant,  savagely. 
"  I'll  send  you  a  dose  of  the  bitterest  medicine  ever  con- 
cocted if  you  attempt  to  fib." 

"  I  never  do,  and  you  know  it,"  said  Mary,  who  was 
warmly  attached  to  the  gruff  old  man. 

"  There's  something  wrong  with  both  of  you  !"  cried 
the  professor.  "I  ask  no  questions  ;  I  shall  find  out ;  you 
can't  deceive  me  with  your  little  feminine  artifices." 

"  We  don't  want  to,"  said  Mary. 

"  H'm  !"  quoth  the  professor.  "  Well,  you  are  impossi- 
ble creatures,  you  women.  Why  in  the  deuce  did  you 
send  Gilbert  Warner  away  with  a  sore  heart,  I  should  like 
to  know  ?  I  saw  him  at  Verona — a  pretty  state  of  mind  he 
was  in  !  Not  a  word  would  he  say — but  I  knew  !  Polz- 
tausend  !  The  idea  of  nature  ai-ranging  matters  so  that  an 
absurd  young  insect  like  you  has  the  power  to  sting  the 
heart  of  a  big,  strong,  noble  fellow  like  that  !" 

Before  Mary  had  time  to  answei',  even  had  she  possessed 
the  power,  Antonio  entered  in  search  of  the  coffee-tray,  and 
directly  after  Miss  Cameron  and  Eliza  returned. 

"  Miss  Bronson  will  drop  us  at  Lady  Harcourt's  on  her 
way  to  Mrs.  Mainwaring's,"  said  Violet,  and  destroyed  a 
hope  the  professor  had  indulged  that  he  might  have  an  op- 
portunity of  asking  her  a  few  inquisitorial  questions  during 
the  drive. 

As  the  carriage  rolled  out  of  the  court,  Laurence  Ayl- 


356  STILL    HER     WORK. 

mer  passed  along  the  street  and  caught  sight  of  Miss  Cam- 
eron. He  knew  where  she  was  going  ;  lie  had  received  a 
note  from  Lady  Harcourt,  telling  him  that  if  he  failed  to 
come  to  her  that  night  he  need  never  expect  forgiveness  : 
promising  that,  as  a  reward  for  good  behavior,  he  should 
have  tli£  happiness  of  hearing  Miss  Cameron  sing — a  favor 
she  sometimes  vouchsafed  her  intimate  friends  when  they 
were  en  petit,  comite. 

Having  no  mind  to  expose  himself  to  unnecessary  tor- 
ture, Aylmer  had  decided  not  to  go.  He  dined  in  his  own 
rooms — or  made  a  pretense  of  doing  so — and  until  towards 
ten  o'clock  remained  there  alone,  the  prey  of  his  bitter  re- 
flections. His  solitude  became  unsupportable  ;  he  dressed 
hurriedly  and  left  the  house  with  the  intention  of  going  to 
Mrs.  Mainwaring's.  Why,  to  reach  her  residence,  he  took 
a  route  so  roundabout  as  to  pass  through  the  piazza  where 
the  Amaldi  Palace  stood,  was  a  question  he  refrained  from 
asking  until  the  sight  of  Miss  Cameron's  carriage  suddenly 
roused  him  to  fierce  invectives  against  his  own  folly. 

He  could  not  get  quickly  enough  away  from  the  spot  : 
he  jumped  into  a  cab  and  drove  to  the  club,  forgetting  until 
he  reached  it  that  he  had  started  from  home  meaning  more 
hopelessly  to  addle  his  brains  by  spending  an  hour  at  his 
literary  countrywoman's  esthetic  conversazione.  But  it 
was  no  matter — the  society  he  should  find  at  the  club  would 
answer  his  purpose  just  as  well.  Anything,  anybody  to 
take  his  thoughts  away  for  a  little  from  the  persistent  med- 
itations of  the  last  two  days,  was  all  he  wanted. 

As  he  got  out  of  the  cab,  Alexis  Sabakine  came  down 
the  club-house  steps  and  seized  upon  him  at  once. 

"  Where,  in  heaven's  name,  have  you  been  hiding  ?"  he 
asked.  "  I  have  called  on  you  twice — never  in — Carlo  away 
at  Perugia — Landini  ill.  I  was  getting  disgusted,  and  half 
inclined  to  cut  Florence  without  delay.  But  you  can't 
escape  now.  I  promised  to  look  in  at  Stanhope's  rooms  : 
after  that  will  go  to  La  Harcourt's,  or  anywhere  you 
please." 

His  coupe  was  waiting,  and  he  fairly  dragged  Aylmer 
into  it,  talking  so  fast  in  his  satisfaction  Ht  having  found 
congenial  companionship  that  Laurence  had  little  to  do  but 
listen  and  reply  in  monosyllables. 

As  they  entered  Stanhope's  salon,  that  gentleman 
appeared  from  an  inner  room,  and  before  he  dropped  the 


STILL    HER     WORK.  357 

curtain  which  hung  over  the  doorway,  the  new-comers 
caught  a  glimpse  of  three  men  seated  at  a  table  playing 
cards. 

"  Hallo,  Sabakine,  I  thought  you'd  forgotten  your 
promise  !"  cried  the  Englishman,  in  his  loud,  ringing  voice. 
"  Why,  Aylmer,  is  that  you  or  your  ghost?  Delighted  to 
see  you,  old  man  !  Sabakine,  you  hardened  sinner " 

"  I  have  received  the  papers  ;  don't  say  I'm  not  punc- 
tual," interrupted  the  Russian,  taking  an  envelope  from  his 
pocket  and  laying  it  on  the  table. 

"  That's  a  good  fellow  !"  returned  the  other.  "  Just  let 
me  run  my  eye  over  them,  and  then  I  shall  be  ready  to  do 
the  civil.  You  must  both  stop — we  shall  be  just  enough 
for  a  rubber,  and  leave  Gherardi  and  you,  Sabakine,  to  your 
favorite  ecarte." 

"Who  else  is  in  there?"  asked  the  Russian,  pointing 
towards  the  door  of  the  second  room. 

"  Pandolfini  and  Dimetri " 

"  That  fellow  !"  interrupted  Sabakine,  in  a  low  tone, 
with  a  gesture  of  disgust.  "  I  wonder  why  we  tolerate  him." 

"  Oh,  I  dare  say  he  is  no  worse  than  the  rest  of  us,"  replied 
the  easy-going  Stanhope  ;  and  added  in  a  louder  tone  : 
"Aylmer,  amuse  yourself  for  a  few  minutes — there  are 
weeds  and  bottles — while  Sabakine  explains  these  docu- 
ments. Goodness  knows  when  I  may  catch  him  again." 

Aylmer  went  to  the  farthest  end  of  the  salon,  to  be  be- 
yond earshot  of  their  conversation.  He  was  standing  near 
the  curtain,  partially  drawn  back  so  that  he  could  see  into 
the  other  chamber — be  seen  perfectly  also  by  the  Greek  ; 
for,  though  Dimetri  had  his  back  that  way,  a  large  mirror 
hung  opposite  his  chair,  and,  as  Aylmer  looked,  he  saw 
the  r  two  images  reflected  therein.  Dimetri  had  evidently 
just  finished  speaking  ;  his  companions  held  their  cards  in 
iheir  hands  and  stared  at  him,  but  his  fierce  black  eyes 
were  fixed  on  the  mirror. 

"  Pr-r-r,  Dimetri,  that  is  rather  strong  gossip,  even  for 
Florence  !"  exclaimed  Gherardi. 

"  I'll  wager  what  you  please  it  will  be  more  than  gossip 
in  less  than  a  month,"  returned  the  Greek,  looking  at  Lau- 
rence Aylmer's  reflection  with  an  insulting  smile. 

"  Come,  come  !"  added  Pandolfini.  "  La  belle  Arneri- 
caine  is  too  wise-headed  a  woman  for  such  nonsense  ;  it's 
too  bad  to  talk  of  her  in  that  way." 


358  STILL    HER     WORK. 

"  You  are  wonderfully  scrupulous  !"  sneered  Dimetri. 
"  I  see  no  reason  for  being  more  chary  of  her  reputation 
than  of  any  other  woman's  !  Since  Violet  Cameron  lias  a 
married  "nan  for  a  lover " 

Before  he  could  finish  his  sentence,  Laurence  Aylmer 
flung  the  curtain  back  and  dashed  into  the  room.  The 
Greek  saw  him  coming,  sprang  out  of  his  chair,  and  con- 
fronted him  ;  but  Aylmer  was  too  quick.  As  Dimetri 
raised  his  hand,  Laurence  dealt  him  a  blow  full  in  the  face, 
so  sudden,  so  heavy,  that  he  barely  saved  himself  from  fall- 
ing by  seizing  hold  of  the  table. 

The  other  men  started  up  with  broken  exclamations, 
and  rushed  between  the  two.  The  noise  roused  the  pair  in 
the  outer  salon,  and  they  hurried  in. 

Aylraer  stood  still.  The  Greek  wiped  the  blood  from 
his  mouth  with  his  handkerchief,  such  triumphant  satisfac- 
tion in  the  regard  he  fastened  upon  Laurence,  that  Saba- 
kine,  noticing  it,  decided  at  once  that  the  insult,  whatever 
it  might  be,  which  Aylmer  had  so  promptly  punished,  had 
been  premeditated,  and  the  results  exactly  what  Dimetri 
desired. 

"  Stanhope,"  the  Greek  said  composedly,  "  with  your 
permission  I'll  go  into  your  bedroom  and  wash  my  face. 
Please  come  with  me,  Gherardi.  I  shall  expect  you  to  act 
for  me.  I  suppose  you  will  do  me  the  favor  ?" 

As  Gherardi  owed  the  fellow  a  large  sum  of  money,  he 
could  not  easily  refuse.  Indeed,  whatever  reports  might 
be  in  circulation  against  the  Greek,  his  hold  on  respectabil- 
ity was  strong  enough  to  give  him  a  right  to  demand  from 
any  acquaintance  the  service  which  the  present  exigency 
required. 

The  two  passed  out ;  the  others  gathered  about  Aylmer. 
There  was  very  little  to  be  said.  Pandolfini  gave  a  rapid 
explanation  :  Sabakine  took  Aylmer's  hand,  saying  : 

"  I  am  your  oldest  friend  here.  You  will  not  refuse  me 
a  friend's  privilege  ?" 

"  I  thank  you,"  Aylmer  answered  ;  then  turned  towards 
the  host.  "  I  am  very  sorry  any  trouble  should  have  hap- 
pened here,  Stanhope.  I'll  bid  you  good-night." 

"You  need  not  be  in  the  least  sorry,"  returned  the 
other,  bluntly.  "  I  hope  you  broke  the  rascal's  jaw  !  As 
for  going  away,  what's  the  use?  Just  stop  till  matters  are 
arranged." 


STILL    HER     WORK.  35& 

They  shook  hands  ;  then  Sabakine  drew  Aylmer  aside. 

"  The  fellow  will  not  eat  his  lie,"  he  said.  "To  do  him 
justice,  he  is  no  coward  ;  you  must  meet  him." 

"  The  sooner  the  better,"  ret. irned  Laurence  ;  "to-mor- 
row, if  possible." 

Gherardi  appeared  in  the  doorway  ;  Sabakine  stepped 
forward,  and  said  with  g'vavc  courtesy  : 

"Mr.  Aylmer  has  empowered  tne  to  act  for  him  ;  I  am 
quite  at  your  service,  monsieur." 

As  the  door  closed  behind  them,  Laurence  began  speak- 
ing of  some  indifferent  matter,  and  the  two  gentlemen 
seconded  him,  though  they  were  much  less  calm  than  he. 

The  conference  in  the  adjoining  room  only  lasted  a 
short  time  ;  Gherardi  came  back,  and  Sabakine  beckoned 
Aylmer  out. 

"  It  is  all  settled,"  he  said,  "  to-morrow  morning  at  sun- 
rise in  the  Cascine.  As  I  expected,  the  rascal  would  not 
hear  of  making  an  apology.  Now  let  us  bid  these  fellows 
good-night  ;  you  will  be  glad  to  get  away,  and  so  shall  I." 

Hurried  words  had  been  exchanged  between  the  trio, 
and  the  result  of  them  was  this  speech  from  Stanhope 
when  the  two  gentlemen  returned. 

"  Aylmer,"  he  said,  "  we  wish  to  assure  you  that  from 
neither  of  us  will  the  cause  of  this  difficulty  be  known." 

"Let  me  add,"  said  Gherardi,  "that  before  Signor 
Dimetri  went  away,  it  was  distinctly  understood  that  I 
only  agreed  to  act  for  him  on  condition  that  he  gave  me 
his  word  to  be  equally  reticent." 

"I  owe  you  all  my  best  thanks,"  returned  Aylmer, 
made  his  adieus,  and  departed,  accompanied  by  the  Rus- 
sian. 

"I  suppose  it  won't  be  long  first "  began  Pandolfini, 

but  Stanhope  checked  him. 

"  Gherardi  would  not  tell,  and  we  do  not  want  to 
know,"  he  said.  •' Aylmer  is  a  capital  swordsman  ;  I  only 
hope  he  will  kill  the  fellow." 

"  H'm  !"  said  Pandolfini,  recalling  various  stories  he 
had  heard  of  the  Greek's  dueling  prowess  ;  every  one  of 
the  histories  credited  him  with  having  killed  his  man. 

The  Russian  and  Aylmer  drove  to  the  latter's  lodgings  ; 
and  Sabakine  went  in  with  him,  and  remained  for  half  an 
hour. 

" I'd  stop  longer  if  you  wanted  me,"  he  said,  "but  I 


860  STILL    HER     WORK. 

can  see  you  would  rather  be  alone."  He  was  pale  and  agi- 
tated, in  spite  of  his  attempt  to  appear  composed.  Aylmer 
had  a  singular  faculty  of  winning  the  warm  regard  of 
those  with  whom  he  came  much  in  contact,  and  he  and  the 
Russian  had  grown  quite  intimate.  "  It  is  of  no  use  to 
tell  you  how  sorry  I  am,"  continued  Sabakine,  rapidly  ; 
"  but  it  will  all  end  well  :  not  only  are  you  a  skillful  fencer, 
but  if  there  is  any  justice,  a  cause  like  yours  must  be  suc- 
cessful." 

When  Aylmer  was  left  alone  he  sat  down  at  his  writ- 
ing-table :  up  to  this  moment  he  had  literally  felt  nothing 
after  the  spasm  of  wrath  which  passed  with  the  blow  he 
had  dealt  the  Greek  upon  his  lying  mouth. 

Something  told  him  now  tnat  for  him  the  end  of  earthly 
things  was  at  hand.  No  man  could  be  less  inclined  to 
superstitious  fancies,  but  this  presentiment  fastened  itself 
upon  his  soul  as  firmly  as  if  some  supernatural  power  had 
taken  visible  shape  and  uttered  it.  Yet  the  certainty 
caused  him  no  excitement ;  he  wondered  a  little  at  his  own 
dull  calmness,  as  he  might  have  done  at  that  of  a  stranger. 
An  uncontrollable  longing  to  see  Violet  Cameron  arose  in 
his  mind.  Who  could  tell  if  the  whole  sweep  of  eternity 
•would  ever  bring  her  within  his  reach  after  this  night  !  He 
must  see  her  ;  then  he  needed  only  to  write  the  letters  he 
desired  to  leave  behind  him,  and  all  he  had  to  do  would  be 
accomplished.  He  looked  at  his  watch  ;  it  was  still  early 
enough  to  go  to  Lady  Harcourt's.  He  should  find  her 
there  ;  he  could  not  die  till  he  had  gazed  once  more  in  the 
face  of  the  woman  whom  he  loved  with  an  affection  so 
deep  that  he  knew  even  in  the  life  beyond  this  it  must  re- 
main the  ruling  power  of  his  soul. 

He  paused  before  the  glass,  and  adjusted  his  hair  and 
dress  ;  through  the  wild  impatience  which  fired  his  veins, 
came  the  thought,  how  strange  it  seemed  that  he  should 
never  stand  there  again  !  He  wondered  anew  at  his  own 
inability  to  care  ;  then  recollected  that  he  was  losing 
precious  instants  ;  she  might  be  gone  before  he  reached  the 
house.  He  caught  up  his  hat  and  outer  coat,  and  rushed 
down  the  stairs,  startling  himself  by  the  audible  repetition 
of  her  name. 


FOR     WHOM   HE    WAS    TO    DIE.  361 

CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

FOE  WHOM   HE    WAS   TO  DIE. 

HE  old  professor's  appearance  with  Miss  Cam- 
eron created  quite  a  sensation  among  the  group 
seated  in  Lady  Harcourt's  salon. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you,  Violet,"  cried  the 
hostess.  "Ursa  Major,  as  I  live!  There  is 
nobody  who  can  bore  us.  I  was  determined  to  have  a 
pleasant  evening  for  once  in  my  life.  And  how  nice  of 
you  to  have  persuaded  the  Great  Bear  to  come  !  Profes- 
sor, I  am  delighted — overpowered — don't  know  how  to  ex- 
press my  gratitude  !" 

"  I  suppose  a  new  species  of  beast  is  always  a  welcome 
addition  to  a  menagerie,"  retorted  the  professor,  and 
kissed  her  hand  as  gallantly  as  if  he  had  been  an  old  beau. 

"  This  really  is  too  much  !"  laughed  she.  "  I  shall  ex- 
pect a  tender  declaration  presently." 

"  The  megalosaurus  subjugated,"  said  the  professor. 

Violet  left  them  to  talk  nonsense,  and  passed  on  to 
greet  her  friends — Nina  and  Carlo  among  them. 

"  We  only  got  back  just  in  time  for  dinner,  else  I 
should  have  gone  to  your  house,"  said  the  former. 

"  What  has  happened  to  you  ?"  asked  Violet.  "  You 
look  as  radiant  as  if  you  had  just  returned  from  a  honey- 
moon trip  !" 

"  I'll  tell  you  presently,"  whispered  Nina,  and  as  soon  as 
she  could  get  her  friend  to  herself  for  a  few  minutes,  she 
unfolded  her  good  news.  "  Carlo  has  promised  to  play 
cards  only  once  more  for  six  months — so  he  will  go  to 
Giulia  da  Rimini's  next  evening,  but  that  will  be  the  last 
time." 

"  I  am  so  very,  very  glad  !"  returned  Violet. 

"And  fancy  Giulia's  rage  when  she  hears " 

"  Madame  la  Duchesse  da  Rimini,"  announced  the 
French  major-domo  before  Nina  could  finish,  and  she  felt 
Violet's  fingers,  close  over  her  arm  with  a  pressure  which 
fairly  hurt.  She  looked  up  in  surprise.  Miss  Cameron  had 
turned  very  pale,  and  her  eyes  were  black  with  excitement. 
They  were  standing  near  enough  to  hear  what  the  new- 

16 


362  FOR     WHOM    HE     WAS     TO    DIE. 

comer  said,  as  the  hostess  moved  forward  to  greet  her,  with 
a  surprise  in  her  face  which  she  took  no  pains  to  hide. 

"  My  dear  Lady  Harcourt,  I  expected  to  find  you  alone 
— had  no  idea  you  meant  to  receive  to-night — and  I  have 
just  had  news  from  Paris  that  I  knew  you  would  be  glad 
to  hear,"  the  duchess  was  saying,  her  usual  slow  grace  not 
in  the  slightest  degree  disturbed. 

"  You  are  certain  of  always  being  la  Men  venue  in  my 
house,"  returned  her  ladyship,  "  and  you  shall  tell  me  the 
news  latev." 

The  duchess  spoke  to  the  people  close  by — caught  sight 
of  Violet  and  Nina,  and  approached  them  with  stately 
ease. 

"  My  darling  Nina,  what  an  unexpected  pleasure  !" 
she  said,  holding  out  her  hand.  "  Miss  Cameron,  I  am 
delighted  !" 

She  was  about  to  extend  the  same  greeting  she  had 
bestowed  upon  the  marchesa,  but,  apparently  unconscious 
of  her  intention,  Violet  bowed,  and  said  : 

"  Madame  la  duchesse  !" 

She  said  only  that ;  and  though  her  lips  wore  a  smile, 
there  was  an  undisguised  expression  of  scorn  and  menace 
in  her  eyes  which  sent  a  thrill  through  the  Sicilian's  nerves, 
strong  as  they  were. 

At  this  instant  Lady  Harcourt  hastened  up. 

"  My  dear  Violet,  you  promised  me  a  song,"  she  said  ; 
"I  shall  not  let  you  off.  I  mean  to  accompany  you  myself 
— if  you  are  not  grateful  you  are  less  than  human." 

"  I  am  quite  at  your  service,"  returned  Violet. 

As  they  walked  away,  Lady  Harcourt  whispered  :  "  It  is 
too  bad  !  I  did  not  think  even  her  assurance  was  equal  to 
coming  here  to-night." 

"  We  have  no  one  but  ourselves  to  blame  for  the 
manner  in  which  she  ventures  to  treat  us  all,"  Violet 
answered. 

"  Oh,  I  am  ready  to  follow  suit  if  anybody  will  take  the 
initiative,"  said  Lady  Harcourt. 

"  Only  wait  !"  responded  Violet,  thinking  of  Carlo's 
promise  to  his  wife — if  he  broke  it,  so  much  the  worse. 
Even  for  Nina's  sake  she  would  keep  no  further  terms  with 
the  duchess.  Since  the  woman  had  forced  herself  on  Lady 
Harcourt  to-night,  Carlo  would  have  his  opportunity,  then 
he  could  find  no  excuse  for  going  near  Giulia. 


FOR     WHOM    HE     WAS     TO    DIE.  363 

"  I  am  sorry,  because  I  can't  keep  her  and  Carlo  from 
high  play,  as  you  manage  to  do  in  your  house,"  continued 
L:uly  Harcourt,  "and  I  know  how  it  distresses  you  and 
Nina." 

"  This  evening,  you  need  not  be  troubled  on  her  account 
or  mine,"  said  Violet  ;  "let  them  both  alone." 

"You  will  tell  me  your  reason  sometime?  I  am  sure  you 
mean  mischief,  and  I  am  glad  !  If  anybody  can  prove 
more  than  a  match  for  Giulia,  it  will  be  you — but  take 
care  !M 

A  knot  of  men  came  up  ;  Violet  could  only  respond  to 
the  warning  by  a  smile,  but  it  was  so  bitter  that  Lady  Har- 
court fell  to  wondering  what  it  meant. 

"I  have  done  more  than  my  duty,"  Miss  Cameron  said, 
as  she  finished  her  second  song  and  was  besieged  for 
another.  "  Lady  Harcourt,  you  must  play  the  harp  for  us 
— it  was  only  on  that  condition  I  agreed  to  sing." 

"And  I  am  ready  to  show  myself  a  woman  of  my 
word,"  replied  her  ladyship,  gayly. 

The  last  air  Violet  sang  had  been  a  favorite  melody 
of  Laurence  Aylrner's.  When  Nina  chose  it,  her  first 
impulse  was  to  refuse  ;  then  she  felt  indignant  to  find 
that  anything  associated  with  the  man  could  move  her. 

After  Lady  Harcourt  had  played,  two  people  seated 
themselves  at  the  piano  to  perform  a  duet.  Violet  left 
the  music-room  ;  a  suffocating  sensation  had  oppressed  her 
ever  since  she  ended  her  song  ;  she  wanted  a  breath  of  air, 
a  few  moments  of  solitude. 

Lady  Harcourt  inhabited  a  villa  in  one  of  the  modern 
quarters  of  the  town.  The  ground-floor  was  occupied  by  a 
library,  dining-room,  a  snuggery  in  which  she  usually  spent 
her  mornings,  and  attached  thereto  a  large  studio,  for 
among  her  numerous  talents  and  accomplishments  she  pos- 
sessed no  mean  artistic  ability. 

As  Miss  Cameron  reached  the  entrance-hall,  the  outer 
bell  rang — the  servant  ushered  some  person  in.  She  hurried 
on  to  escape  companionship,  crossed  the  library  and  gained 
the  snuggery  beyond,  lighted  only  by  candles  placed  so  as 
to  display  a  new  painting  to  advantage  ;  the  rest  of  the 
chamber  lay  in  a  soft  gloom,  very  grateful  to  her  tired  eyes. 

She  sat  down  in  an  arm-chair,  forgetting  already  the 
purpose  which  had  brought  her  thither. 

The  heavy  Persian  curtains  of  the  door  rustled  softly 


364  FOR     WHOM    HE     WAS     TO    DIE. 

and  were  flung  back.  Violet  glanced  in  that  direction,  and 
saw  Laurence  Aylmer. 

She  had  believed  that  he  would  not  come  to-night  ;  of 
course  they  must  unavoidably  meet,  but  she  persuaded  her- 
self that  a  little  time  would  elapse  before  he  gained  audacity 
enough  to  accept  invitations  to  houses  where  he  ran  the 
risk  of  encountering  her. 

As  soon  as  she  perceived  the  intruder,  she  turned  away 
and  appeared  absorbed  in  contemplation  of  the  picture. 
She  heard  him  cross  the  room — knew  that  he  was  standing 
beside  her — but  she  did  not  stir  or  take  the  slightest  notice. 

"  Miss  Cameron  !"  he  said,  after  a  brief  silence.  "  Miss 
Cameron  !" 

She  looked  round  now,  regarding  him  with  icy  surprise, 
as  she  might  have  done  a  stranger  who  ventured  to  address 
her  under  circumstances  which  rendered  the  act  an  imperti- 
nence. 

"I  saw  you  come  in — I  followed  you,"  he  continued,  in 
a  slow,  difficult  voice. 

The  surprise  in  her  face  deepened,  her  lips  moved — 
seemed  to  repeat  his  words  in  wonder  at  his  presumption — 
but  emitted  no  sound. 

"An  hour  ago  I  did  not  think  anything  would  induce 
me  to  enter  your  presence,"  he  said,  "  but  I — I " 

He  paused,  and  rested  his  hand  heavily  on  a  table  which 
stood  near  her  chair.  He  was  deathly  pale,  she  could  see  ; 
his  eyes  were  hollow  and  ringed  by  dark  circles  which  made 
them  appear  unnaturally  large.  But  the  recollection  of  the 
man's  utter  falsity  checked  Violet's  quick  impulse  of  sym- 
pathy, and  the  thought  that  he  hoped  still  to  deceive  her 
increased  the  anger  roused  by  her  own  weakness. 

"  I  could  not  keep  away,"  he  went  on  ;  "  it  was  stronger 
than  ray  will — that  impulse — so  I  came." 

She  would  waste  neither  resentment  nor  scorn  ;  he 
deserved  nothing  but  utter  indifference,  and  should  receive 
his  lesson. 

"  Mr.  Aylmer,"  she  said,  "  when  we  meet  in  the  society 
of  mutual  acquaintances  I  may  recognize  you  in  order  to 
avoid  remark  ;  under  other  circumstances  we  remain  stran- 
gers. You  will,  of  course,  be  courteous  enough  never  to 
force  me  to  repeat  this  declaration." 

"  You  will  have  no  necessity,"  he  answered,  his  lips 
quivering  with  a  troubled  smile. 


FOR     WHOM    HE     WAS     TO    DIE.  365 

She  slightly  bowed  her  head  ;  the  movement  was  not 
only  an  acquiescence  but  a  gesture  of  dismissal,  and  again 
her  eyes  went  back  to  the  picture. 

After  a  pause  he  spoke  again: 

"  Since  I  promise  you  that " 

"  Promises  are  uncalled-for  between  strangers,"  she 
interrupted  ;  and  now  she  waved  her  hand  towards  the 
door. 

He  did  not  move. 

She  waited  for  a  few  seconds — her  hand  still  extended 
— but  he  kept  his  position.  Then  she  rose  without  deigning 
him  a  second  glance. 

"  Don',,  go  !"  he  exclaimed. 

She  walked  on — he  stepped  quickly  before  her,  repeat- 
ing : 

"  Don't  go  !" 

"  I  will  not,  if  your  leaving  me  prevents  the  necessity," 
she  answered. 

"  In  a  few  moments.     Give  me  a  little  time,"  he  said. 

Again  she  attempted  to  pass  ;  he  put  out  his  arm  ;  he 
was  .so  close  that  he  would  have  touched  her  if  she  had  not 
retreated  a  step.  Such  disdainful  haughtiness  suddenly 
steeled  her  face,  that  a  person  seeing  it  for  the  first  time 
would  not  have  believed  the  countenance  could  ever  wear  a 
gentle  expression. 

"  Not  even  the  outward  courtesy  of  a  conventional  gen- 
tleman," she  said  slowly;  "  ah,  well !  I  need  not  be  sur- 
prised." 

"  You  must  let  me  speak,"  he  hurried  on,  regardless  of 
her  contempt.  "Yes,  I  think  I  am  desperate  enough  to 
stop  you,  if  you  refuse." 

Violet  returned  to  her  chair  and  sat  down. 

"  Since  to  call  for  assistance  would  be  absurd,  I  must 
admit  myself  a  prisoner,"  she  said. 

"  It  is  only  this  !  I  have  not  come  to  ask  your  pardon 
— to  explain..  The  friendship  which  will  not  stand  any  and 
every  test  is  not  worth  possessing." 

A  painful  constriction  in  his  throat  made  him  pause  ; 
Violet  sat  stone-deaf  to  his  voice,  blind  to  his  presence — 
her  eyes  fixed  on  the  picture,  her  features  as  unchangeable 
as  if  they  had  frozen  with  that  intolerable  scorn  upon 
them. 

"  You  are  too  proud  !"  he  cried,  with  an  indescribable 


366  FOR     WHOM    HE     WAS     TO    DIE. 

peevish  pathos  in  his  tone,  "Take  care — God  punishes 
pride  !  Remember  what  I  say,  for  we  shall  never  meet 
again  !" 

Never  again — and  he  must  go  into  the  next  world  and 
take  with  him  the  recollection  of  her  fade  as  it  looked  now  ! 
Oh,  if  he  could  only  find  means  to  soften  it  for  an  instant 
— just  one  ! 

"  Violet !  Violet !"  he  called,  in  an  uncontrollable 
paroxysm  of  agony  that  thrilled  her  very  soul. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?"  she  asked,  forced  to  look  at 
him,  forced  to  speak,  in  spite  of  her  will. 

She  could  hear  her  voice  tremble,  knew  that  her  face 
had  lost  its  mask,  but  for  a  moment  she  could  not  resist  his 
sway. 

"  Ah  !"  he  cried,  in  a  tone  of  wild  exultation,  "  at  least 
I  shall  carry  this  memory  with  me — at  least  this  !  Only  a 
minute  more,  then  you  may  go — it  is  forever,  forever  ! 
Remember  always  that  in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  I  have 
been  true  to  the  deity  I  set  up  in  my  soul — remember  !  I 
loved  you — I  shall  love  you  still — death  itself  could  not 
alter  that !" 

Violet  uttered  a  little  gasping  cry — put  out  her  hands 
as  if  a  positive  physical  insult  had  been  offered  her — tried 
to  rise,  but  sank  back  so  sick  and  faint  with  anger  and  dis- 
gust that  she  was  powerless. 

"You  know  it,"  he  continued.  "However  much  you 
loathe  me  now,  you  know  it — you  will  remember — remem- 
ber it  more  and  more  !" 

"  Is  the  play  ended  ?"  she  asked,  finding  voice  at  length. 
"  Oh,  I  thank  you  after  all — I  did  not  dream  when  you 
stopped  me  here  in  that  ruffianly  fashion  that  I  should  have 
cause — but  I  thank  you.  I  might  have  grieved  somewhat 
for  the  man  I  had  believed  you — for  the  friend  I  had  lost. 
I  might  have  tried  perhaps  to  make  for  you  the  excuses 
that  many  women  hold  good  where  men  are  concerned  ; 
you  have  destroyed  the  possibility — you  have  shown  me 
you  are  so  vile,  there  is  no  room  for  regret.  I  thank  you." 

"1  love  you,"  he  repeated. 

The  repetition  of  the  words  which  seemed  so  terrible 
an  outrage,  roused  her  to  wrath  such  as  she  had  never  felt 
in  her  whole  life. 

"  Oh,  now  I  understand  everything  !"  she  exclaimed. 
"  And  you  really  fancied  me  weak  enough  even  yet  to  be 


FOR     WHOM    HE     WAS     TO    DIE.  367 

deceived  by  your  arts  ?  Trust  me,  sir,  you  have  failed  in 
every  way.  Do  not  flatter  yourself  that  the  girlish  heart 
you  tried,  two  nights  ago,  to  fill  with  the  story  of  your 
affection,  hoping  thus  to  close  her  lips,  was  touched  :  my 
cousin  despises  you  as  heartily  as  a  pure  creature  can  a  man 
like  you." 

"  Your  cousin  !"  he  echoed. 

"  Oh,  if  you  needed  money  so  sorely,  I'd  have  given 
you  half  rny  fortune,  if  you  had  only  invented  some  reason 
for  wanting  it,  rather  than  bear  the  shame  of  remembering 
that  I  ever  called  so  base  a  pretender  my  friend  !" 

He  stood  perfectly  impassive  under  her  fiery  tirade,  his 
eyes,  so  full  of  yearning  anguish,  fastened  upon  her. 

" I  never  thought  of  that,"  he  said  slowly.  "Surely  I 
might  have  supposed  other  people  would  recollect  your 
money  ;  I  did  not ;  I  wouldn't  have  believed  you  could 
even  now.  No,  no  ;  I  had  no  need  of  it — less  than  ever 
now.  I  am  rich  again  ;  but  it  is  all  no  matter." 

"None,"  she  said,  "  none  !  Is  my  imprisonment  ended 
— can  I  go  without  risk  of  new  insolence?" 

"  I  said  the  whole  in  saying  I  love  you,"  he  answered, 
moving  aside.  "God  bless  you,  Violet  !  remember  they 
were  my  last  words.  God  bless  you — farewell  !" 

She  was  gone.  He  stood  still  for  a  few  seconds,  trying  to 
catch  the  echo  of  her  tread  ;  then  he  turned  towards  the 
chair  in  which  she  had  sat — stooped  and  kissed  the  carved 
arms  over  which  her  hands  had  clenched  themselves,  warm 
still  from  that  nervous  pressure. 

"  The  woman  I  am  going  to  die  for,"  he  said  half  aloud  ; 
"  surely  I  have  a  right  to  love  her.  If  she  should  ever 
learn  the  truth  and  be  sorry,  I  wonder  if  they  would  let 
me  come  back  and  tell  her  not  to  grieve — I  wonder." 

Once  more  he  kissed  the  polished  wood,  and  left  the 
room  in  his  turn.  The  servants  had  deserted  the  entrance- 
hall.  He  found  his  hat  and  coat,  opened  the  door,  and 
passed  out  into  the  night. 


368  ONCE    TOO     OFTEN. 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

ONCE    TOO    OFTEN. 

IOLET  dared  not  immediately  return  to  the  com- 
pany ;  she  must  have  a  few  moments  to  subdue 
the  excitement  which  shook  her,  body  and 
mind,  caused  by  so  many  varying  emotions 
that  she  could  not  have  told  what  feeling  was 
uppermost. 

She  ascended  the  stairs  and  passed  through  the  ante- 
chamber where  the  ladies  had  left  their  wraps — empty 
now,  luckily.  She  walked  to  and  fro — paused  before  a 
vase  of  flowers,  and  began  counting  the  roses — the  silk 
balls  that  decorated  the  table-fringe — trying  to  concentrate 
her  faculties  upon  some  trivial  employment,  till  the  pulses 
which  beat  like  tiny  hammers  in  either  temple  should  relax 
their  force  enough  to  let  her  see  and  bear  clearly,  for  the 
physical  sensation  was  as  if  a  sudden  blow  had  first 
stunned,  and  then  fevered  her  brain. 

At  length  she  heard  a  step.  The  thought  of  being  seen 
nerved  her.  She  turned  to  the  door — met  Lady  Harcourt's 
maid — stopped  to  ask  the  woman  kindly  if  she  were  en- 
tirely recovered  from  an  illness  she  had  had — glanced  at 
herself  in  a  mirror,  and  went  on,  satisfied  that  beyond  an 
unusual  pallor  and  an  odd,  strained  look  in  her  eyes,  there 
was  nothing  peculiar  in  her  appearance,  and  the  people 
would  all  be  too  full  of  themselves  to  notice  such  slight 
signs  of  agitation. 

From  the  farther  salon  still  came  the  sounds  of  the 
piano.  Violet  wanted  no  more  music,  and  walked  in  the 
opposite  direction — found  herself  surrounded  by  a  knot  of 
gentlemen — talked — was  talked  to — all  the  while  feeling  as 
if  she  were  in  a  dream — a  dream  which  held  vague  horrors 
that  chilled  her  blood.  Somebody  said  something  about 
play  going  on  in  the  card-room  ;  she  heard  herself  saying 
she  wanted  to  watch  the  game.  Somebody  offered  his  arm 
— she  took  it,  and  was  led  away. 

A  party  of  whist-players  occupied  one  of  the  tables ; 
farther  on,  she  saw  the  duchess  and  Carlo  absorbed  in 
bcarte ;  near  them,  Lady  Harcourt  and  Nina,  with  a  knot 


ONCE     TOO     OFTEN.  309 

of  men  hovering  about.  The  hostess  called  Violet,  and 
made  her  sit  on  the  sofa  between  the  marchesa  and  herself. 

That  mercurial  personage  was  in  her  most  brilliant 
mood,  pouring  out  bon  mots,  relating  amusing  anecdotes, 
and  generally  riveting  attention  upon  herself,  so  that  Nina 
had  an  opportunity  to  whisper  to  Violet  : 

"  Do  you  see  Giulia  ?  I  never  saw  her  look  so  utterly 
fiendish  as  she  does  to-night,  and  she  has  been  so  sweet  and 
insolent  to  me — oh,  I  wish  the  game  was  over  !" 

"  Patience  !"  returned  Violet.     "  It  is  the  last  time." 

She  had  a  sudden  odd  sensation  as  she  spoke  that  her 
words  meant  more  than  she  herself  comprehended — knew 
that  she  must  have  uttered  them  oddly  too,  for  Nina  was 
quite  staring  at  her  with  wide-open  eyes. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  the  marchesa  asked. 

"Since  Carlo  promised  you  not  to  play  after  this  eve- 
ning for  six  whole  months,"  said  Violet. 

"Oh  !"  exclaimed  Nina,  in  a  disappointed  tone.  "You 
said  it  in  such  a  strange  way — I  hoped  I  don't  know  what 
— goose  that  I  am  !" 

And  now  Violet  found  a  plan  which  rendered  the  words 
she  had  spoken  significant  enough.  This  should  be  the 
last  time  that  the  duchess  tempted  Carlo  through  his 
peculiar  weakness.  If  there  was  no  other  way  to  prevent 
it,  she  would  tell  the  woman  in  plain  language  that  the 
secret  shared  by  herself  and  cousin  would  only  remain  a 
secret  on  those  conditions.  She  could  frighten  the  crea- 
ture. She,  Violet  Cameron,  was  a  power  in  the  social 
world  which  even  Giulia  would  not  venture  to  defy.  What 
an  idiot  not  to  have  thought  of  this  before  !  At  least  some 
good  might  come  out  of  that  miserable  man's  treachery — 
good  to  her  friend,  whoever  else  suffered. 

"  Aren't  you  well  ?  I  think  you  are  pale,  or  is  it  this 
light  ?"  Nina  was  saying. 

"  It  is  your  fancy,"  returned  Violet. 

"  I  am  tired — I  wish  I  was  at  home  !"  continued  Nina. 
"  I  wonder  why  Laurence  Aylmer  is  not  here.  You  have 
seen  him,  of  course,  since  I  went  away?" 

Lady  Harcourt  relieved  Violet  from  the  necessity  of 
replying. 

"  Nina,  stop  whispering  in  Violet  Cameron's  pretty  ear 
and  listen  to  my  story  !"  she  cried.  "  It  is  a  new  tale, 
16* 


370  ONCE    TOO     OFTEN. 

and  I  want  to  rehearse  it  to  a  small  and  discriminating 
audience." 

They  were  all  still  laughing  at  the  absurd  history,  when 
the  duchess  flung  down  her  cards,  and  said  aloud  : 

"  What  amuses  you  so  much  over  yonder  ?  If  you  held 
such  hands  as  mine,  you  would  not  laugh  so  heartily." 

"  Not  in  vein  to-night,  Giulia  ?"  asked  Lady  Harcourt. 

"No,"  replied  the  duchess,  rising  as  she  spoke.  "The 
marchese  and  I  want  to  play  baccarat :  ecarte  is  too  stupid 
— too — what  is  that  expressive  English  word,  Miss  Cam- 
eron ? — ah,  slow." 

"  The  very  word,"  replied  Violet.. 

"  What  wonderful  progress  you  are  making  in  our 
harsh  tongue  !"  laughed  Lady  Harcourt. 

"  Ah,  when  one  has  a  good  teacher  !"  said  Carlo. 

"  Go  you,  marchese,  and  bring  some  Christian  souls  who 
appreciate  baccarat,  and  leave  me  and  my  teachers  alone," 
retorted  the  duchess,  with  a  sneer. 

"  Wouldn't  disturb  you  for  the  world — not  even  when 
you  put  them  in  the  plural,"  said  Carlo.  "Baccarat,  eh? 
Well,  since  this  is  my  last  chance  for  six  months,  I  may  as 
well  take  advantage  of  it." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  she  asked. 

"  I  am  not  to  touch  a  card  for  six  whole  months,"  said 
Carlo. 

Everybody  laughed  except  Nina  and  Violet,  but  Magno- 
letti  persisted,  till  all  perceived  that  he  was  in  earnest. 

"  Whom  did  you  promise  ?"  asked  the  duchess,  as  the 
chorus  of  wondering  ejaculations  ceased. 

"  I  swore  it  on  my  guardian  angel's  crucifix,"  replied 
Carlo,  gayly. 

"  Upon  my  word,  Miss  Cameron,  we  may  well  call  you 
the  all-powerful  !"  cried  the  duchess. 

Violet  did  not  heed  the  speech,  so  no  one  would  have 
ventured  to  notice  it,  only  Carlo  knew  that  it  would  enrage 
the  duchess  more  to  discover  he  had  yielded  to  his  own 
wife's  influence  than  to  that  of  Miss  Cameron. 

"  The  crucifix  happened  to  be  Russian,"  said  he,  and  as 
he  spoke  he  playfully  raised  Nina's  hand  to  his  lips. 

The  duchess  laughed  in  reply,  and  turned  to  take  her 
fan  from  the  table,  but  Violet  caught  sight  of  her  face — its 
expression  of  malignity  was  positively  startling — and  Miss 
Cameron  exulted  anew  over  the  power  which  she  possessed 


ONCE    TOO     OFTEN.  371 

to  counteract  the  plots  she  felt  assured  the  woman  already 
meditated. 

The  duchess  looked  round  with  her  sweetest  smile,  and 
said : 

"It  would  be  a  pity  to  endanger  your  wise  resolves, 
Carlo — there  shall  be  no  baccarat !  Let  us  rest  a  little,  and 
go  back  to  ecarte:  I  believe  I  shall  follow  your  good  exam- 
ple so  far  as  to  abjure  all  other  games." 

"  To  think  of  rny  brightening  into  a  shining  light  to 
guide  people  into  safe  paths  !"  cried  Carlo. 

"This  is  a  world  of  surprises,"  returned  the  duchess, 
glancing  at  Miss  Cameron  with  an  expression  lost  upon 
that  lady,  though  the  marchese  perfectly  understood  its 
meaning,  and  he  inwardly  vowed  to  tell  Nina,  before  he 
slept,  of  the  malicious  hints  Giulia  had  several  times 
thrown  out  in  regard  to  himself  and  their  friend. 

Her  last  chance — this  had  been  the  duchess's  thought 
when  Carlo  announced  his  determination  to  give  up  cards — 
she  would  make  good  use  of  it  !  Oh,  if  Dimetri  were 
only  there  !  There  might  be  danger  for  her  in  attempting 
to  cheat  at  baccarat  unaided,  but  at  ecarte  she  could  do  it 
with  impunity  in  case  fortune  favored  Magnoletti  :  before 
they  rose  from  the  table  the  thousands  which  remained 
from  Carlo's  late  inheritance  should  change  hands  ! 

Giulia  and  Carlo  stood  watching  the  whist-players  ;  the 
others  joined  the  people  in  the  outer  salons- — Violet  pausing 
to  whisper  some  hopeful  assurance  in  Nina's  ear  as  they 
went. 

"  Am  I  expected  to  wait  for  you,  Fraulein  ?"  asked  the 
professor,  stalking  up  to  Miss  Cameron. 

"  Of  course  you  are,"  said  Lady  Harcourt,  who  over- 
heard the  question,  "and  she  is  not  going  for  these  two 
hours  !  You  dreadful  man,  you  drove  us  out  of  the  music- 
room  by  persuading  Madame  do  Hatsfeldt  to  play  that  ter- 
rible Wagner  music  !  But  you  cannot  escape  ;  come  and 
tell  me  all  sorts  of  wise  things,  so  that  I  can  repeat  them 
later  as  original,  and  get  a  reputation  for  learning  on  easy 
terms  " 

Violet  would  gladly  have  gone  home,  but  she  knew  that 
her  hostess  would  not  permit  her  to  leave,  and  besides, 
weary  as  she  was,  something  impelled  her  to  remain,  and 
she  could  not  resist  the  conviction  that  before  the  evening 
ended  she  should  leurn  the  reason — fiud  it  a  potent  one  top. 


372  ONCE    TOO     OFTEN. 

Presently,  other  men  were  announced — Sabakine  and 
Gherardi  amongst  them.  Nearly  another  hour  passed, 
then  the  supper-room  was  thrown  open. 

"  Sabakine,"  said  Lady  Harcourt,  "  play  maUre  d'hotel, 
and  go  warn  those  people  in  the  other  room  that  eatables 
and  champagne  are  to  be  had  if  they  choose  to  leave  their 
cards." 

When  he  came  back,  Lady  Harconrt  and  Violet  were 
still  in  the  salon,  detained  by  a  diatribe  of  the  professor's 
against  the  madness  of  human  creatures  exasperating  their 
interiors  by  eating  trash  at  that  hour  of  the  night. 

"  None  of  them  can  think  of  their  stomachs,"  said 
Sabakine.  "  Gherardi  has  persuaded  the  whist-players  to 
change  to  poker  !  The  duchess  wants  a  lemonade."  Then 
he  added  in  Violet's  ear:  "Carlo  is  losing  fearfully  !  Dear 
Miss  Cameron — perhaps  I  ought  not  to  say  it — but  try  to 
stop  his  playing  so  much  with  the  duchess.  If  she  were  a 
man  I  would  tell  you  the  reason." 

Violet  knew  that  he  shared  her  suspicions,  but  nothing 
could  be  done  at  present ;  she  took  his  arm  and  followed 
Lady  Harcourt,  who  was  not  only  forcing  the  professor 
into  the  supper-room,  but  threatening  to  make  him  devour 
both  game  and  sweets  as  a  punishment  for  his  lecture. 

Violet  could  not  eat ;  her  throat  felt  parched  and  burn- 
ing, and  she  took  an  ice  in  order  to  obtain  momentary 
.relief. 

"  I  will  have  no  standing  about — no  nibbling,"  Lady 
Harcourt  announced  ;  "  you  are  all  to  sit  down  at  a  tabfe 
like  Christians,  and  not  only  eat,  but  be  as  witty  as  if  we 
were  back  in  the  days  of  the  gay,  delightful  Philippe, 
instead  of  this  dull  nineteenth  century." 

It  seemed  to  Violet  that  the  party  would  never  break 
up  ;  she  could  endure  it  no  longer  ;  she  must  go  back  to 
the  card-room — she  must ! 

"  Do  come,"  she  whispered  at  last  to  the  professor,  who 
was  seated  beside  her. 

"  Where  are  you  going?'  called  Lady  Harcourt.  "I'll 
not  have  you  ruin  a  pleasant  hour,  Violet." 

"  I'll  come  back,"  she  replied  ;  "my  head  aches.  The 
professor  is  too  devoted  to  you — I  am  jealous,  and  must 
have  him  to  myself  for  a  few  minutes." 

The  savant  gave  her  his  arm,  and  they  strayed  into 
the  empty  salon  beyond. 


ONCE    TOO     OFTEN.  373 

"What  aila  you,  Friiulein  ?"  he  asked.  "I  knew  at 
dinner  that  something  was  wrong." 

"  I  am  anxious  about  the  marchese,"  she  answered. 
"Professor,  that  woman's  look  haunts  me;"  and  she  told 
rapidly  of  Carlo's  promise  to  abstain  from  cards.  "If  she 
could  ruin  him  she  would — she  is  desperate." 

"You  can't  do  any  good,"  returned  the  professor  ;  "the 
marchese  is  crazy  when  he  gets  those  devil's  pictures  in  his 
hands." 

"I  believe  she  cheats  ;  I  believe  the  whispers  are 
true " 

"Never  take  the  trouble  to  believe  anything  which  you 
cannot  prove,"  interrupted  the  professor  calmly.  "  My 
dear,  it  is  distracting  to  think  of  the  variety  of  reptiles 
and  wild  beasts  the  life-principle  in  that  woman  must  have 
passed  through  before  it  entered  her  present  shape." 

"Come  with  me,"  pleaded  Violet.  "Perhaps  I  can 
give  him  a  warning ;  sometimes  he  will  pay  attention  to 
what  I  say." 

The  professor  shrugged  his  broad  shoulders.  "  If  this 
is  Carlo's  last  chance  for  six  months,  warnings  will  be  thrown 
away,"  oaid  he  ;  "  but  come,  Fraulein,  and  don't  look  so  mis- 
erable." 

"  And  watch  her — do  !"  urged  Violet.  "  Your  eyes  are 
as  quick  as  those  of  a  lynx  ;  who  knows " 

In  her  impatience  she  hurried  him  forward  without 
waiting  to  finish  her  sentence.  The  professor  paused  in 
the  doorway,  and  let  her  pass. 

The  table  at  which  the  four  men  sat  was  at  the  farther 
end  of  the  room ;  the  players  too  deeply  engrossed  to  no- 
tice anything  that  went  on  about  them.  Carlo  and  the 
dunhess  were  seated  so  that  the  professor  could  look 
directly  into  the  lady's  hand  ;  her  back  towards  him.  She 
was  shuffling  the  cards — relating  some  anecdote  while  thus 
employed  ;  Carlo  laughing  at  her  words.  He  was  pale,  but 
scarcely  more  so  than  usual  ;  a  few  tiny  beads  of  perspira- 
tion which  broke  out  on  his  forehead  afresh  each  time  that 
he  wiped  them  away,  alone  betrayed  his  keen  excitement. 

Violet  passed  round  the  table  and  leaned  over  him. 
"  What  luck  ?"  she  whispered. 

"Not  precisely  brilliant,"  he  replied  carelessly,  "but 
perhaps  it  will  change." 

The  duchess  looked  up  ;  Miss  Cameron  was  regarding 


374  ONCE    TOO     OFTEN. 

her  fixedly,  bat  though  the  woman  perfectly  understood 
the  meaning  in  her  glance,  she  returned  it  with  a  scorn- 
fully indifferent  smile. 

"Sol"  said  Violet,  half  aloud,  and  made  a  rapid  sign 
with  her  fan,  first  towards  her  own  head,  then  towards 
Carlo's  shoulder.  Giulia  attempted  to  look  defiant,  but  her 
gaze  wavered  ;  she  phut  her  mouth  hard  to  hide  a  sudden 
quiver  of  the  lips. 

"  Did  you  speak,  belle  Violette  ?"  asked  Carlo. 

"  The  other  night  at  my  house,"  began  Violet  softly, 
her  eyes  still  fastened  on  the  woman,  "the  other 
night " 

"  Marchese,  suppose  we  stop,"  broke  in  the  duchess, 
quickly.  "  Ah,  pardon,  I  interrupted  Miss  Cameron  !" 

"  Well,  the  other  night  ?"  questioned  Carlo. 

"You  were  less  unlucky,"  said  Violet. 

"  No  high  play  permitted,"  rejoined  he,  laughing.  "  Did 
you  say  stop,  duchess  ?  Heavens,  what  an  idea  !  This  is 
my  last  dissipation  for  six  months,  remember  !" 

The  duchess  gave  Violet  a  quick  glance,  which  said  as 
plainly  as  words  could  have  done  :  "  I  am  not  to  blame," 
and  began  dealing  the  cards.  "You  would  go  on  playing 
if  I  retired,  Carlo,  so  I  may  as  well  take  my  chances,"  she 
observed  presently. 

Violet  turned  away  ;  as  she  did  so  she  saw  the  duchess's 
eyes  follow  her — that  awful  glare  was  in  their  depths 
again  ;  her  lips  wreathed  with  the  malignant  smile  which 
had  startled  Violet  once  before.  For  the  moment,  Miss 
Cameron  couJd  do  no  more — the  woman  had  won  the  right 
to  a  truce.  Violet  sat  down  at  some  distance  from  the 
table  ;  the  professor  kept  his  stand.  The  game  continued; 
Carlo's  losses  were  terrible.  The  duchess  was  dealing 
again  ;  her  brain  working  busily.  If  she  could  put  Mag- 
uoletti  so  much  in  her  debt  that,  added  to  his  previous 
losses  at  her  house,  the  present  disaster  would  cramp  him 
in  a  desperate  manner,  she  could  buy  Violet's  silence  by 
proposing  easy  terms  of  payment  to  Carlo.  Not  only  a 
hold  gained  on  Miss  Cameron,  but  the  money — the  money 
which  she  loved  in  the  very  depths  of  her  soul,  where  the 
instincts  of  a  usurer  and  a  spendthrift  fought  incessantly 
for  supremacy. 

"lam  tired,  marchese,"  she  said.  "What  say  you — 
double  or  quits  ?" 


ONCE    TOO     OFTEN.  375 

Carlo  snatched  at  the  chance  with  the  recklessness  of 
the  true  gambler. 

"  As  you  like,"  he  answered. 

Whatever  else  he  might  know  her  capable  of,  Magno- 
letti  had  never  suspected  her  of  cheating  ;  while  she  dealt, 
he  turned  his  head  and  addressed  some  trivial  remark  to 
Miss  Cameron. 

With  an  expertness  worthy  a  conjurer,  the  duchess 
slipped  a  king  from  the  bottom  of  the  pack  instead  of 
tin-owing  down  the  top  card.  Victory  in  every  way  ;  not 
only  Carlo's  money  won,  but  Violet  Cameron  conquered  a 
second  time — victory  ! 

Quick  as  her  movement  was,  before  she  could  play  the 
king,  a  grip  of  iron  seized  her  two  hands  just  across  the 
knuckles,  and  shut  them  so  tight  that  she  could  not  drop 
the  evidence  of  her  guilt — could  not  stir  a  finger. 

Discovered — ruined  ! 

The  terrible  consequences  flashed  upon  the  woman  and 
paralyzed  body  and  mind.  She  groaned  aloud.  Carlo 
looked  back  and  uttered  an  exclamation  of  horror.  The 
men  at  the  other  table  started  from  their  seats  and  hurried 
forward.  The  professor  cried  : 

"  Look  for  yourselves,  gentlemen.  The  trick  has  been 
neatly  done." 

lie  lifted  the  duchess's  hands  so  that  the  spectators 
could  see  all  the  cards — the  position  of  the  tell-tale  thumb 
and  finger.  Nobody  spoke — the  whole  group  was  abso- 
lutely struck  dumb.  Then  the  professor's  guttural  voice 
broke  the  silence  : 

"Perhaps  you  do  not  punish  lady  sharpers  publicly, but 
at  least  I  suppose  you  decline  to  play  with  them." 

Violet  sat  motionless — her  first  thought  one  of  rejoicing 
that  Carlo  was  saved  ;  then  she  caught  sight  of  the  crimi- 
nal's white  face,  and  a  shudder  of  pity  mingled  with  her 
fright  and  disgust. 

The  professor  held  the  woman  fast ;  she  did  not 
attempt  to  struggle  ;  her  black  eyes  wandered  slowly  about 
the  circle,  then  settled  on  Violet  Cameron,  and  a  fierce,  im- 
potent wrath  mingled  with  the  terror  that  glazed  their 
fires. 

At  the  instant,  Lady  Harcourt  and  Nina  appeared  on 
the  threshold.  Nina  was  looking  back  over  her  shoulder 
at  Subakine:  her  merry  laugh  rang  out,  sending  a  cold 


376  ONCE    TOO     OFTEN. 

thrill  through  the  listeners — died  abruptly  on  her  lips  as  a 
low  ejaculation  from  hev  companion  caused  her  to  turn  her 
head. 

Lady  Harcourt  mechanically  stepped  forward,  drawing 
the  raarchesa  with  her.  Sahakine  followed,  closing  the 
door  behind  him.  lie  had  taken  in  the  full  significance  of 
the  scene  at  a  glance. 

"  At  last,"  he  said  calmly. 

"  At  last,"  echoed  the  professor.  "She  cheated  you  out 
of  ten  thousand  francs  about  a  month  since,  Sabakine." 

"  I  thought  no  one  knew  it,  so  I  held  my  peace,"  returned 
the  Russian  ;  "  but  I  was  sure  this  must  happen  sooner  or 
later." 

"  I  saw  the  trick  the  night  she  tried  it  with  you,"  re- 
joined the  professor.  "I  was  not  quick  enough  then  to 
catch  her  ;  we  have  been  more  succ^ssfu!  this  time — every- 
body has  seen." 

He  dropped  the  woman's  hands  —  the  cards  rustled 
slowly  to  the  floor.  She  cowered  down  in  her  chair,  sat 
quiet  for  a  moment,  then  struggled  to  her  feet.  They  could 
hear  her  panting  breath  ;  her  lips  were  drawn  back  spas- 
modically, showing  the  white  teeth  ;  her  eyes  again  wan- 
dered about  the  group. 

"  What  do  you  mean  to  do  ?"  she  hissed  ;  and  her  gaze 
once  more  settled  on  Violet.  "  That  Cameron  woman  is 
satisfied  now.  Well,  what  do  you  mean  to  do?" 

"I  am  sure  that  I  can  speak  for  everybody  here — no  one 
will  tell !"  cried  Carlo. 

"Provided  the  duchess  promises  to  leave  Floi'ence  for 
two  years,"  added  Sabakine,  in  his  most  indifferent  tones. 

The  other  men  did  not  speak.  They  were  all  Italians, 
and  had  often  suffered  from  what  they  had  considered 
Giulia's  wonderful  luck  ;  to  know  that  their  losses  had  no 
doubt  been  caused  by  trickery,  filled  them  with  anger  too 
hot  for  any  merciful  recollection  of  her  sex  to  soften  their 
judgment. 

The  duchess  uttered  an  inarticulate  cry  of  rage — started 
forward — made  a  step  towards  Violet.  Her  arms  were 
stretched  out ;  her  face  so  perfectly  demoniac  that  Nina 
shrieked.  Sabakine  moved  in  front  of  the  woman  ;  the 
professor's  hand  fell  heavily  upon  her  shoulder. 

The  duchess's  frenzied  eyes  roved  from  Violet  to  Carlo  ; 


ONCE    TOO     OFTEN.  377 

she  laughed  aloud.     At  least  she  could  deal  one  final  blow, 
defeated,  disgraced  as  she  was. 

She  began  to  utter  the  vile  slander  which  the  Greek  had 
spoken,  but  the  professor  stopped  her  at  the  first  words, 
which  reached  no  ears  save  his  and  Sabakine's. 

"  If  you  finish,  madame,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  will  expose 
you  myself  in  the  morning  papers." 

"  Good  God,  professor  !"  cried  Carlo. 

"  Hush  !"  said  Sabakine,  sternly.  "  If  the  professor  did 
not,  I  would  ;  mercy  is  wasted  here." 

The  duchess's  fingers  tore  like  claws  at  the  lace  upon 
her  dress,  but  she  remained  silent. 

Lady  Harcourt  had  by  this  time  recovered  her  presence 
of  mind.  She  crossed  the  salon  and  opened  a  door  hidden 
in  the  oak  wainscoting. 

"  That  passage  leads  directly  to  the  dressing-room,"  she 
said.  "  Madame  da  Rimini  can  leave  my  house  without 
encountering  those  guests  who  have  not  witnessed  this 
scene." 

The  woman  turned,  shook  her  clenched  hand  at  Violet 
Cameron,  uttered  another  inarticulate  cry  like  the  snarl  of 
a  wild  animal,  and  fled,  closing  the  door  behind  her. 

She  gained  the  dressing-room,  found  her  wraps,  and 
hurried  down  stairs.  Her  carriage  drove  up,  and  as  she 
was  entering  it  a  hand  touched  hers. 

"  Permit  me,  du"hess  !"  said  Dimetri,  softly.  "  I  was 
waiting  till  you  came  out ;  I  had  something  to  tell  you  !" 

"  What  ?"  she  demanded,  turning  fiercely  on  him. 

"  Do  you  remember  what,  you  said  to-day  ?  Well,  to- 
morrow morning  at  daylight  !" 

She  grasped  his  arm  with  both  hands,  and  began  to 
laugh. 

"  Get  into  the  carriage,"  she  whispered,  as  soon  as  she 
could  check  that  terrible  paroxysm  of  laughter.  "  Tell  me 
about  it  !  You  are  sure  to  kill  him — sure  ?" 

"  I  was  Lachasse's  favorite  pupil,"  he  answered,  with  a 
smile. 


378  THE    STORY    TOLD. 

CHAPTER  XL. 

THE     STOEY     TOLD. 

OR  a  few  instants  after  the  door  closed  behind 
the  woman,  nobody  among  the  group  stirred  or 
spoke.  Nina  had  caught  her  husband's  hand 
and  held  it  fast ;  Lady  Harcourt  leaned  on 
Violet's  shoulder  to  support  herself  ;  the  men 
stood  like  statues  of  astonishment,  with  the  exception  of 
Sabakine  and  the  professor ;  the  Russian  was  calmly 
adjusting  a  flower  in  his  button-hole,  and  the  savant 
regarding  the  party  with  a  smile  worthy  a  Sphinx. 

"  Professor,"  said  Sabakine,  breaking  the  silence  with 
his  cold,  polished  voice,  "  they  all  seem  turned  to  stone  ; 
can't  you  perform  some  sort  of  incantation  that  will  restore 
their  vitality  ?" 

The  professor  pointed  a  long,  bony  figure  at  the  table 
strewn  with  cards,  and  replied  sententiously  : 

"  They  have  banished  the  devil,  but  they'll  not  give 
up  his  works." 

Everybody  started,  and  a  chorus  of  ejaculations  rose. 

Violet  sat  down  on  the  sofa  near,  and  Nina  hurried  up, 
drawing  Carlo  with  her. 

"  And  only  last  week  she  took  a  cool  three  thousand 
out  of  my  pocket  at  piquet !"  exclaimed  Gherardi.  "  Carlo 
mio,  set  up  a  statue  of  Fortune  at  once  in  your  oratory,  and 
let  it  wear  the  professor's  face." 

"I  should  make  a  beautiful  goddess,  but  it  would  be  a 
pity  to  leave  out  my  legs,"  quoth  the  savant. 

Lady  Harcourt  laughed  hysterically. 

"  I  could  forgive  Giulia  her  dishonesty,"  said  she,  "  but 
I  can't  pardon  her  bad  taste  in  choosing  my  house  to  dis- 
play it." 

"  And  we  always  talked  about  her  wonderful  luck," 
cried  Gherardi.  "  By  heavens,  we  ought  to  publish  her  in 
every  newspaper  in  Italy  !"  and  all  his  compatriots,  with 
the  exception  of  Magnoletti,  echoed  his  angry  threat. 

"  Oh  no,  no  !"  exclaimed  Violet.  "  Keep  her  secret — 
she  will  go  away  at  once  !  Nina — Lady  Harcourt — make 
them  promise  not  to  tell." 


THE    STOUT    TOLD.  379 

"Of  course  they'll  not  tell — we  shan't,  any  of  us  ;  yet  it 
will  leak  out  somehow,"  returned  her  ladyship  philosophi- 
cally, rather  annoyed  with  herself  for  having  been  betrayed 
into  either  surprise  or  horror  even  by  an  incident  so  start- 
ling. "  In  the  meantime,  Sabakine,  open  the  doors  ;  what 
will  the  other  people  think  to  find  us  shut  up  like  so  many 
conspirators  ?" 

"  In  an  opera  bouffe"  added  Carlo,  speaking  for  the 
first  time  since  the  duchess's  departure. 

Nina  laughed,  then  put  up  her  fan  to  hide  the  tears 
which  rushed  to  her  eyes. 

"  Happy  tears,"  she  whispered,  as  Violet  pressed  her 
hand  in  silent  sympathy.  "  There  never  was  but  one  real 
cloud  on  my  horizon — it  is  gone  forever/' 

"  A  great  deal  to  be  thankful  for,"  Violet  thought ;  then 
that  mournful  line  of  the  great  master's  flashed  through  her 
mind  :  "  It  is  hard  to  look  at  happiness  through  other 
men's  eyes  !"  There  came  another  reflection  :  If  she  had 
wronged  Laurence  Aylmer  after  all !  But  no  ;  even  though 
she  could  believe  that  the  duchess  had  put  him  in  an 
equivocal  position  without  fault  on  his  part,  his  words  this 
night  damned  him  with  deeper  treachery  !  Only  two  even- 
ings before  be  had  poured  forth  tender  declarations  to 
Mary  Danvers,  in  the  hope  of  securing  her  silence — to-night 
he  had  dared  to  tell  her,  Violet,  that  she  alone  reigned  in 
his  heart. 

"  I  must  go  home,"  she  said,  rising  quickly. 

"  Oh,  not  yet  !"  urged  Lady  Harcourt,  overhearing  the 
words. 

"  And  I  too,"  added  Nina  ;  "  come,  Carlo,  I  am  so 
tired." 

"  Civil  to  your  hostess,"  retorted  her  ladyship.  "  I 
believe  I  am  tired  too — there's  a  return  compliment." 

As  Nina  passed  the  professor,  she  stopped  short. 

"  I  should  like  to  kiss  you  !"  cried  she,  laughing,  yet 
ready  to  cry. 

"  You  may,"  said  he. 

"  I  will,"  she  replied,  and  stood  on  tiptoe  to  do  it,  as  he 
bent  his  grizzly  head  towards  her  with  comic  gravity. 

Now,  do  you  know  it  really  is  not  unpleasant,"  said  the 
professor,  looking  about  in  a  meditative  fashion,  whereat 
they  all  laughed  immoderately. 


380  THE    STORY    TOLD. 

"  Impossible  to  decide,  except  by  a  personal  trial,"  said 
Sabakine. 

"Come  home,  small  woman,"  cried  Carlo.  "1  can't 
fight  a  duel  with  every  man  in  the  room  on  your  account." 

The  word  duel  carried  Sabakine's  thoughts  back  to  the 
subject  he  had  tried  to  forget.  He  was  ready  now  also  to 
take  his  leave. 

The  other  guests  came  trooping  out  of  the  supper-room, 
and  met  the  party  on  their  way  through  the  salons. 

"  Going  already  ?"  cried  somebody. 

"  I  provide  board,  but  no  beds,"  said  Lady  Harcourt. 
"  Go  home,  everybody.  I  am  a  lone  widow,  with  only  my 
reputation  as  a  shield  against  a  sinful  world.  You  need  not 
look  wicked,  Sabakine.  I  don't  want  to  lose  my  character, 
bad  as  it  is  :  you  might  discover  my  real  one,  and  then  I 
should  be  worse  off  than  I  am  now." 

"  You  would  always  be  the  pearl  of  women,  whatever 
role  you  assumed,"  said  the  Russian,  bowing  over  her 
extended  fingers. 

"  My  dear,  I  am  forty  years  past  compliments,"  returned 
she,  tapping  his  cheek  with  a  hand  white  and  shapely  as  in 
the  days  when  she  reigned  supreme  by  her  beauty  ;  nor  had 
she  lost  her  sovereignty  even  at  sixty-five — her  cleverness 
and  wit  took  the  place  of  youthful  charms. 

"  I  shall  come  and  see  you  to-morrow,  Violet,"  said 
Nina,  as  they  descended  the  stairs. 

"  Who  has  seen  Laurence  Aylmer  to-day  ?"  demanded 
Carlo. 

"  Yes,  Nina,  come  to-morrow,"  said  Violet. 

"  To-morrow  !"  mentally  repeated  Sabakine,  on  whose 
arm  Miss  Cameron  was  leaning.  "  God  knows  what  that 
may  bring  her,"  for  the  reticent,  secretive  Russian  had  ob- 
tained a  clearer  insight  to  Violet's  feelings  than  most  of 
her  acquaintances. 

Her  carriage  had  come  for  her  after  taking  Miss  Bron- 
son  home,  and  the  professor  declared  that,  as  he  brought 
her,  he  ought  to  return  with  her,  meaning  to  take  this  op- 
portunity of  discovering  if  his  fears  that  trouble  had  arisen 
between  her  and  his  favorite  possessed  any  foundation. 
But  Violet  did  not  want  to  be  alone  with  him — she  was 
afraid  he  might  speak  of  the  man,  so  she  jestingly  quoted 
Lady  Harcourt's  speech  : 


THE    STOUT    TOLD.  381 

"And  I  am  not  even  anybody's  widow,  poor  lone  spin- 
ster that  I  am  !"  she  added. 

"  Would  you  like  to  be  mine  ?"  asked  Sabakine. 

"  Alas,  crape  is  not  becoming  to  me,"  she  replied  ;  and 
as  their  glances  met,  each  perceived  that  for  some  reason 
the  other  found  jesting  difficult,  so  Sabakine  naturally  hur- 
ried Violet  on,  and  put  her  in  the  carriage. 

"  At  least,  always  remember  that  you  can  rank  me 
among  the  truest  of  your  friends,"  he  said,  with  sudden 
gravity.  "  Good-night,  Miss  Cameron — sleep  well." 

"  Sans  adieu,'1'1  she  answered  ;  "  we  are  certain  to  meet 
to-morrow." 

Ah,  what  that  morrow  might  bring  her !  was  his 
thought,  as  he  got  into  his  coupe  and  drove  away. 

Clarice  had  been  suffering  from  neuralgia  in  her  face 
during  the  last  two  days,  and  Miss  Cameron  had  bidden 
her  go  to  bed  early  arid  get  a  thorough  rest.  Violet,  deter- 
mined not  to  be  beguiled  into  reverie,  began  to  undress  as 
soon  as  she  entered  her  room,  and  had  nearly  finished  the 
operation  when  she  fancied  that  she  heard  a  sound  from 
Mary's  chamber. 

Very  possibly  the  poor  child,  unable  to  sleep,  was  sitting 
in  solitary  communion  with  her  troubled  heart ;  and  in 
spite  of  her  own  sufferings,  of  the  fact  that  the  peculiar 
circumstances  rendered  it  very  hard  that  the  task  of  consol- 
ing Mary  should  fall  upon  her,  she  was  too  unselfish  to 
think  of  seeking  her  pillow  without  having  at  least  tried  by 
affectionate  caresses,  to  remind  the  girl  that  she  was  not 
deserted  and  uncared-for  in  her  pain. 

Miss  Cameron  opened  the  door  softly,  so  as  not  to  dis- 
turb her  cousin  in  case  she  slept,  and  looked  into  the  cham- 
ber. Her  fancy  had  not  deceived  her  ;  Mary  sat  by  the  win- 
dow, from  which  she  had  pushed  back  the  shutter,  and  was 
gazing  out  at  the  starlit  sky,  so  absorbed  in  her  reverie 
that  she  did  not  notice  Violet's  entrance. 

Miss  Cameron  would  have  marveled  could  she  have 
known  how  quickly  these  solitary  hours  had  passed  with 
the  young  watcher.  The  words  which  the  professor  spoke 
to  her  after  dinner  sent  Mary  away  to  her  room  with  every 
pulse  beating  high  in  relief  and  hope. 

The  professor  was  not  a  man  to  have  said  so  much  as  he 
had  without  a  warrant  beyond  his  own  fancies  or  intuitions 


382  THE    STORY    TOLD. 

— nothing  but  assurances  from  Warner's  own  lips  would 
have  induced  him  to  speak. 

The  last  cloud  was  gone  ;  even  the  fear  that  a  long 
dreary  period  of  .waiting,  of  misapprehension,  might  spread 
between  them,  and  imbitter  this  separation,  faded  in  its 
turn. 

She  was  no  longer  bound  by  the  scruples  which  had 
rendered  it  impossible  for  her  to  make  any  sign — all  the 
circumstances  of  the  case  were  changed.  She  could  answer 
his  letter  now  without  fear  of  appearing  forward  or  un- 
maidenly  ;  nay,  to  pass  it  by  unnoticed  would  be  unfriendly 
— uncourteous  even,  since  she  owed  him  her  thanks  for  the 
beautiful  sketches  he  had  so  kindly  remembered  amid  the 
hurry  of  preparations  for  his  journey. 

She  read  over  and  over  his  farewell  note — read  too, 
divers  little  billets  which  on  one  pretext  or  another  he  had 
managed  to  write  her.  They  all  told  the  same  story — she 
could  decipher  it  clearly  enough  now.  Of  course  it  was 
natural  and  fitting  that  without  delay  she  should  forward 
a  few  kind,  frank  lines,  telling  him  how  sorry  all  his  ac- 
quaintances were  at  his  unexpected  departure — how  warm- 
ly they  hoped  soon  to  welcome  him  back — and  he  might 
believe  that  no  one  would  be  more  glad  to  do  so  than  his 
sincere  friend  Mary  Danvers. 

She  must  have  spent  two  good  hours  meditating  that 
epistle,  brief  as  she  proposed  to  make  it,  but  she  had  it 
clearly  arranged  in  her  mind  at  last.  She  heard  Violet  re- 
turn, and  meant  to  go  to  bed  so  quietly  that  her  cousin 
would  not  suspect  her  late  watch,  but  some  new  fancy  car- 
ried her  off  on  its  sunny  wings,  and  she  forgot  her  i-esolve. 

"  You  bad  child,  to  be  up  at  this  hour  !"  called  Violet. 

Mary  started,  and  said  rather  confusedly  : 

"You — you  have  got -back  !     Is  it  so  very  late?" 

"  Past  two  o'clock,"  returned  Miss  Cameron. 

"  It  is  you  who  ought  to  be  in  bed — how  tired  your 
voice  sound's  !"  said  Mary. 

"  Does  it  ?  I  believe  I  am  tired,"  replied  Violet. 
"  What  have  you  been  doing  all  the  evening  ?" 

"Oh,  reading,  a  part  of  the  time,"  Mary  explained,  and 
felt  her  cheeks  grow  hot. 

"What?"  asked  Violet,  at  once  fulfilling  Mary's  fear 
that  the  confession  would  place  her  in  the  difficulty  of  hav- 
ing to  answer  this  question  ;  but,  as  usual,  that  over- 


TUE    STORY    TOLD.  383 

scrupulous  conscience  of  hers  would  never  permit  her  to 
indulge  in  the  slightest  prevarication. 

"Only  letters,"  she  said,  and  the  slight  quiver  in  her 
voice  roused  a  new  suspicion  in  Violet's  mind.  Aylmer 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  secretly  writing  to  her ;  it  was 
his  letters  the  poor  child  had  been  torturing  her  wounded 
heart  by  perusing  ;  each  tender  word  now  becoming  only 
a  fresh  confirmation  of  his  falsity. 

Better  that  Mary  should  have  every  additional  proof 
possible  without  delay  of  the  man's  utter  worthlessness. 
She  was  too  sensible,  too  proud,  to  mourn  long  for  so 
mean  a  deceiver,  and  so  young,  Violet  again  reflected  with 
a  bitter  pang,  that  the  loss  of  this  affection  need  not  make 
an  arid  desert  of  her  life,  encumbered  by  the  ruined  altars 
of  a  shattered  faith. 

"  Mary,"  she  said  quickly,  "  you  asked  me  the  other 
night  what  I  meant  to  do — you  know  what  I  mean — that 
night  when 

"  Yes,  yes  !"  Mary  interrupted,  her  heart  giving  a  great 
throb  of  sympathy  for  her  cousin.  "  And — and  you  have 
decided  ?" 

"  I  have  decided,"  Violet  answered  ;  "  I  have  acted  on 
my  resolution." 

"  Oh  !  '  Mary  gasped.  For  the  moment  she  could  not 
add  a  syllable,  afraid  of  betraying  some  consciousness 
which  would  lacerate  Violet's  pride  beyond  the  power  of 
healing. 

"  I  must  tell  you,"  Violet  went  on,  sitting  wearily  down 
in  a  chair.  "  It  is  better  you  should  know  the  whole." 

She  paused,  and  her  listener  wondered  if  it  were  possi- 
ble that  she  was  so  utterly  beaten  down  and  conquered 
that  she  must  have  sympathy  in  her  woe.  Mary  rose  sud- 
denly ;  her  first  impulse  was  to  fling  her  arms  about  Violet, 
and  assure  her  that  at  least  one  heart  would  never  fail  her. 
But  even  yet  she  did  not  dare  go  so  far  ;  she  must  wait  till 
her  cousin  proved  by  absolute  words  that  she  was  humbled 
enough,  so  that  such  protestations  could  comfort  instead  of 
wounding  her. 

Mary  crossed  the  room,  seated  herself  on  a  stool,  rest- 
ing her  head  on  Violet's  knee,  after  a  habit  she  had  taken 
when  they  talked  confidentially. 

"Tell  me,"  she  said  softly  ;  "  you  know  you  can  !" 

"  Yes,"  Violet  replied,  smoothing  her  hair  ;  "  you  are 


384  THE    STOUT    TOLD. 

such  a  brave  girl  ;  such  a  heart  of  gold  !  Mary,  I  can't 
soften  the  blow  ;  I  must  tell  it  all  out.  I  have  seen  him 
to-night " 

"  Oh  !"  Mary  gasped  again.  "  And  it  was  of  no  use  ? 
He  had  nothing  to  say  !  How  could  he  !  Yet  I  had  hoped 
— yes,  I  had " 

She  could  not  finish.  Violet  put  out  her  arm  and  drew 
her  closer — sorrow  for  the  girl's  suffering — a  strange  bit- 
terness against  fate  that  the  task  of  reporting  Aylmer's 
despicable  conduct  should  fall  upon  her  of  all  people  in  the 
world,  that  consolation  for  the  youthful  heart  he  had  in- 
jured should  be  her  portion — hers,  whose  hurt  was  so  much 
deeper,  so  much  more  fatal — making  confusion  in  her  mind, 
above  which  presently  another  thought  dominated  ;  to 
pause  now  would  be  as  cruel  as  for  a  surgeon  to  hesitate 
after  his  knife  had  probed  his  patient's  wound. 

"  There  is  no  hope,"  she  said,  "  none  !  Mary,  we  must 
make  up  our  minds  to  that.  See,  he  could  think  of  no  other 
way  of  adding  to  the  fullness  of  his  infamy,  so  to-night  he 
actually  told  me  that  he — he  loved  me  !" 

"  Violet  !"  Mary  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  Miss  Cameron  hurried  on;  "it  seems 
incredible  that  his  audacity  could  go  so  far,  but  it  did  ! 
There,  you  have  heard  the  worst  now  !  He  wanted  my 
money,  perhaps  ;  else  believed  that  my  vanity  was  so  inor- 
dinate he  could  actually  by  a  declaration  of  his  love — his 
love ! — make  me  believe  him  blameless  where  that  woman 
was  concerned  ;  his  treachery  to  you  a  mere  amusement 
on  his  part,  which  he  had  not  dreamed  you  would  take 
seriously " 

Mary  interrupted  by  pushing  away  her  arm  and  sitting 
upright,  staring  into  her  cousin's  face  with  wide-opened  eyes. 

"  Treachery  to  me  ?"  she  repeated.     "  To  me  ?" 

"  Don't  be  hurt  at  my  knowing  ;  trust  me,  dear  !"  cried 
Violet,  putting  out  her  arms  again,  and  folding  the  girl  to 
her  bosom,  adding  with  a  sudden  burst  of  impatience  against 
fate,  life,  all  things:  "Oh,  Mary,  Mary,  why  couldn't 
you  have  cared  for  the  good  man  who  loved  you — at  least 
have  set  one  matter  straight  in  this  wicked  world  !" 

Mary  struggled  to  free  herself,  exclaiming  passionately  : 
"Let  me  go,  let  me  go  !"  As  Violet  released  her,  she  rose 
and  stood  looking  at  her  in  wonder.  "  What  do  you  mean  ?" 
she  cried.  "  Laurence  Aylmer  treacherous  to  me  ?  Why, 


TEE    STORY    TOLD.  385 

Violet,  you  are  mad,  or  I  am  !  In  heaven's  name,  what  do 
you  mean  ?"' 

Did  the  child  hope  even  yet  to  deny  the  secret  which 
her  broken  words  and  agitation  would  have  revealed  with- 
out the  other  proofs  which  Violet  possessed  ?  If  so,  she  must 
humor  her  ;  but  how  to  go  on  and  not  betray  her  knowl- 
edge was  a  task  so  difficult  that  for  a  little  she  sat  speech- 
less. 

"You  think  I  care  for  Mr.  Aylmer?"  demanded  Mary, 
with  that  passionate  wonder  growing  stronger  in  her  voice. 
"  You  believe  that — that " 

"I  am  thankful  that  at  least  his  arts  did  not  succeed," 
Violet  said  hurriedly,  as  she  paused.  "I  could  not  tell. 
You  are  very  young.  Many  girls  would  have  been  touched 
— he  could  seem  so  earnest,  so  true  !" 

"Violet,  stop  !"  cried  Mary.  "You  certainly  will  drive 
me  out  of  my  senses  !  Answer  my  question — I  insist  ! 
You  think  Laurence  Aylmer  flirted  with  me?" 

"Yes.  Ah,  don't  be  vexed,  Mary;  don't  think  I  am 
curious,  intrusive.  I  love  you,  dear!  See,  I  will  believe 
what  you  tell  me  about  your  own  feelings " 

"  Oh,  if  you  don't  stop  I  shall  become  a  gibbering  idiot  !" 
burst  in  Mary,  so  excited  by  the  sudden  light  thrown  upon 
matters  that  she  scarcely  knew  what  she  said,  in  her  eager- 
ness to  enlighten  her  cousin.  "  He  was  like  a  brother  to 
me — never  a  word  or  look  that  was  not  kindness  itself — 
that,  and  nothing  more!" 

"  Mary  !  Mary  !" 

"  I  swear  it,  Violet !     Oh,  do  believe  me  !" 

"  I  think  one  of  us  must  be  mad  !"  Violet  exclaimed,  so 
worn  out  that  for  the  instant  a  kind  of  fretful  exaspera- 
tion was  uppermost  in  her  bewildered  faculties. 

"  Oh,  we  must  make  everything  clear  now,"  returned 
Mary.  "  I  tell  you  I  never  thought  of  him  except  as  a 
friend.  He  never  dreamed  of  flirting  with  me." 

"  Mary,  when  you  told  me  of  his  conduct  after  that 
woman  went  away " 

"Because  he  did  not  want  me  to  tell  you,"  interrupted 
Marj'.  "  Great  heavens,  Violet,  did  you  think  I  meant  ho 
made  love  to  me  ?" 

"  Yes.     What  else  could  I  think  ?" 

"  What  else  ?  I  must  speak — even  if  you  are  angry,  I 
must.  I  was  furious  on  your  account.  I  thought  you 
17 


380  THE    STORY    TOLD. 

cared  for  him.  There,  it  is  all  said  now  !  I  thought  you 
cared,  and  it  may  me  so  happy — and  to  find  him  dishonor- 
able !  Oh,  Violet,  Violet — mayn't  all  the  rest  be  some 
drear! fill  mistake  too?" 

Violet  pressed  her  hands  hard  against  her  throbbing 
temples,  and  stared  at  her  cousin.  She  could  not  credit  her 
own  ears.  The  girl  must  be  trying  to  screen  her  secret  at 
any  cost,  whether  of  truth  or  care  for  her  listener's  delicacy 
and  pride. 

"Before  you  went  down  stairs  that  night  when  we  were 
talking  here,  you  were  unhappy.  You  had  seen  him'  dur- 
ing the  day.  You  cannot  deny  that  you  were  unhappy " 

"  I  was,  but  not  about  him,"  Mary  desperately  broke  in 
upon  the  hesitating  sentences.  "  What  did  you  mean  when 
you  wondered  I  couldn't  have  cared  for  the  good  man  who — 
who — loved  me  ?  Nobody  has  made  love  to  me,  Violet." 

"But  you  knew  Gilbert  Warner  loved  you — you  must 
have  known  that  !"  cried  Violet,  still  in  the  depths  of  be- 
wilderment. 

"He  never  told  me  so,"  faltered  Mary,  turning  away 
her  head. 

"But  he  told  me!" 

Mary  shrank  a  little  farther  off  and  put  up  one  hand. 
The  movement  was  a  revelation  to  Violet.  She  sprang  to 
her  feut  and  seized  her  cousin's  shoulder. 

"  What  have  I  done  !"  she  cried.  "  He  thought  you 
cared  for  Aylmer.  He  talked  with  me,  and — and  I " 

"You  told  him  I  did!"  groaned  Mary.  "Oh,  you 
might  have  ruined  my  whole  life  !  No,  no,  I  did  not  mean 
that !  Oh,  Violet,  Violet !"  and  she  flung  her  arms  about 
her  cousin,  so  overpowered  between  joy  at  this  fresh  con- 
firmation of  her  own  happiness  and  sympathy  for  Violet, 
that  she  burst  into  tears  and  sobbed  uncontrollably  for  a 
few  moinents,  which  was  probably  the  best  thing  she  could 
have  done  on  both  their  accounts. 

"  He  loves  you  !  He  loves  you  !"  repeated  Violet, 
straining  her  close  to  her  heart.  "  Oh,  at  least  you  will  be 
happy  ;  I  thank  God  for  it,  my  darling — heartily.  Oh, 
the  thought  of  your  suffering  was  more  than  I  could 
bear  !" 

"  How  could  you  be  so  blind — but  never  mind  me  !" 
returned  Mary,  wiping  away  her  tears.  "  Sit  down,  Violet," 
and  she  forced  her  cousin  gently  back  into  her  chair, 


THE    STORY    TOLD.  387 

resuming  her  own  place  on  the  footstool.  "Don't  let  us 
judge  Mi1.  Aylmer !  Oh  !  the  more  I  reflected,  the  more 
certain  I  felt  that  he  was  not  to  blame.  I  don't  try  to 
put  it  all  on  her  just  because  she  is  a  woman — but  she  is 
such  a  dreadful  creature  !  I  have  so  often  seen  him  avoid 
her.  Oh,  I  behaved  like  a  fool  that  night !  And  he  couldn't 
have  told — he  is  a  man — he  couldn't  betray  her  !  But  I 
believe  him  when  he  said  he  loved  you.  Yes — I  do  !  The 
professor  knew  it  ;  he  thought — oh,  you  won't  be  vexed?" 

Violet  only  answered  by  a  pressure  of  her  hand. 

"He  thought  you  were  unwilling  to  let  yourself  care 
about  anybody — but  that  it  would  all  end  well — and  oh,  he 
is  so  fond  of  Aylmer  ;  and  he  is  a  man,  and  must  know 
him  as  we  cannot !  Violet,  I  tell  you  that  woman  did  the 
whole  !  Maybe  she  saw  me,  and  thought  at  least  she  could 
ruin  him  in  your  esteem  !" 

Violet  rose  again,  and  began  to  pace  the  room  in  terrible 
agitation,  while  her  cousin  hurried  on  with  every  argument 
she  could  think  of  in  Laurence's  favor. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  she  did  to-night.  Of  course,  the 
story  is  safe  with  you,"  Violet  said  at  length,  and  she  re- 
lated the  exposure  which  had  befallen  the  duchess  at  the 
card-table. 

"Isn't  a  woman  like  that  capable  of  anything?"  shud- 
dered Mary.  "Oh,  Violet,  don't  let  us  believe  anything 
against  Mr.  Aylmer  on  her  account — at  least  give  him  an 
opportunity  to  explain.  No,  perhaps  he  could  not — but  be- 
lieve him  !  I  shall,"  she  added,  careful  in  her  delicacy  not 
to  put  her  pleadings  in  a  fashion  which  could  render  her 
sympathy  troublesome.  "  See,  one  does  not  renounce  a 
friend  without  good  reason  !  We  have  always  found  him 
honorable  and  true  ;  we  are  bound  to  credit  his  word. 
Why,  what  is  friendship  worth  that  cannot  stand  any  and 
every  test  !" 

"His  very  words,"  answered  Violet,  pausing  in  her 
march.  "  Oh,  Mary,  if  I  have  wronged  him,  I  think  he 
never  can  forgive  me  !  I  was  so  hard — I  must  have  said 
horrible  things  to  him." 

"One  pardons  everything  to  a  friend — to  the  person 
one  loves,"  amended  Mary.  "  Yes,  I  may  speak  out.  I 
don't  pretend  to  know  anything  about  your  feelings,  but  I 
am  certain  he  loves  you  !  Oh,  if  I  had  not  been  such  an 


388  THE    STORY    TOLD. 

idiot,  you  need  have  heard  nothing — at  least  I  could  have 
waited  to  be  sure  !" 

"  I  was  ready  for  a  moment  to  exonerate  him,  after 
what  happened  about  her  cheating  at  cards,"  said  Violet. 
"  Then  I  remembered " 

"  That  you  thought  him  treacherous  to  nv>.  I  under- 
stand. My  dearest  dear,  he  liked  to  talk  to  me  because  I 
talked  about  you  !  Oh,  Violet,  it  would  be  wicked  to  con- 
demn him  unheard  !  I  shall  tell  the  professor  what  hap- 
pened :  you  can't  stop  me,  I  warn  you  !  Mr.  Aylmer  shall 
have  every  chance  possible — and  I  for  one  will  believe  his 
word  !  Oh,  the  more  I  have  thought,  the  more  I  felt  sure 
I  was  wrong  !  He  didn't  stir — it  was  she  put  her  head — oh, 
I  can't  go  over  it !" 

"  No,  no !"  cried  Violet,  beginning  to  pace  the  room 
again. 

"  I  was  quite  beside  myself  any  way,  that  night,"  pur- 
sued Mary.  "  I— I " 

"  Ah,  you  were  wondering  why  poor  Gilbert  had  gone," 
interrupted  Violet,  hurrying  up  to  her,  and  embracing  her 
again.  "  That  was  my  fault  too,  blind  simpleton  !  Well, 
that  is  all  clear  enough  now  !  Be  happy — he  loves  you — 
he  told  me  so — do  you  hear  ?" 

"I  don't  want  to  hear  till  he  is  sensible  enough  to  come 
and  tell  me  himself,"  said  Mary,  with  a  laugh  and  a  sob. 
"  I  am  not  thinking  of  myself  !  Oh,  Violet,  try  to  believe 
in  poor  Laurence  !" 

"My  dear,"  said  Violet,  with  more  composure,  "  I  shall 
not  lose  my  friend  if  I  can  help  it.  Since  I  wronged  him 
in  one  respect,  I  may  easily  have  done  so  in  another.  The 
only  question  is,  if  I  have,  whether  he  can  pardon  me." 

"  When  he  loves  you  !" 

"  Hush  !  Laurence  Aylmer  was  my  friend,  and  he 
would  never  have  been  more,"  said  Violet. 

"  Oh,  he  is  the  only  man  I  ever  saw  that  seemed  worthy 
of  you  !"  cried  Mary,  impatiently.  "  How  could  you  help 
liking  him  ?" 

"  To  marry  him  would  have  been  very  different  from 
that,"  replied  Violet.  "  A  woman  may  have  for  friend  a 
man  six  years  younger  than  herself — not  a  husband  !  At 
my  age " 

"  Your   age  !     When   you   look   like   a  girl — anybody 


WEEN    DAWN    BROKE.  389 

would  give  him  five  years  moi*e  than  you  !     In  ordinary 
cases  I  don't  say  you  are  not  right — but  for  you  /" 

"  My  dear,  there  is  no  question  of  marriage — if  I  may 
keep  my  friend  I  shall  be  glad  !  Go  you  to  bed — good- 
night !"  and  with  a  kiss  upon  Mary's  cheek  she  went  quickly 
out  of  the  room. 


CHAPTER   XLI. 

WHEN   DAWN   BROKE. 

HE  gray  dawn  broke  over  Florence — deepened 
and  broadened — smote  the  casements  of  Lau- 
rence Ayhner's  chamber,  and  roused  him  from 
sleep. 

He  had  passed  the  greater  portion  of  the 
night  writing  such  letters  as  would  be  necessary  in  case  he 
never  returned  from  that  expedition  upon  which  he  was  to 
go  forth  in  the  early  morning  ;  then  he  lay  down  and  speed- 
ily fell  into  a  deep  slumber,  some  pleasant  memory  of  Vio- 
let brightening  his  dreams. 

The  premonition,  so  strong  it  became  a  certainty  in  his 
mind,  that  the  encounter  would  end  fatally  for  him,  re- 
mained unshaken  ;  it  had  been  his  last  conscious  reflection 
before  he  slept — it  was  his  first  thought  when  he  woke — 
solemn,  awe-inspiring,  but  free  from  fear. 

He  rose  in  obedience  to  the  summons  which  the  light 
brought  as  it  quivered  like  some  spirit-touch  across  his 
eyelids,  remembering  that  it  was  the  last  time  it  would 
ever  arouse  his  soul  while  clothed  in  those  habiliments  of 
clay.  He  performed  his  toilet  slowly,  leisurely — he  had 
never  in  his  life  felt  more  calm.  Even  his  agonized  heart 
had  ceased  its  struggles  against  the  cruelty  of  fate  ;  the 
time  for  such  weakness  had  passed  ;  it  belonged  to  men 
who  still  had  a  part  in  this  world  and  this  world's  miseries 
— he  had  done  with  them. 

As  he  finished  dressing,  some  one  knocked  at  the  door. 
He  knew  who  it  was — the  man  that  took  charge  of  his 
apartment,  bringing  the  coffee  he  had  ordered  for  this  nour. 

"  Come  in,  Giacoino,"  he  said,  and  the  old  servant  en- 


390  WHEN    DAWN    BROKE. 

tered  with  profuse  Italian  greetings,  which  not  only  com- 
prehended wishes  that  his  padrone's  sleep  had  been  pleas- 
ant, but  that  all  the  other  nights  of  his  life  should  bring 
rest  as  sweet,  and  this  day  and  aH  coming  days — and  might 
they  be  many — filled  with  the  choicest  blessings  that  ever 
descended  upon  mortal. 

Often  as  he  had  heard  the  same  utterances,  they  struck 
Aylmer  oddly  now.  He  smiled,  spoke  pleasantly  to  the 
old  man,  who  was  quite  devoted  to  him,  not  more  from  the 
numerous  acts  of  kindness  he  had  received  than  from  sub- 
mission to  the  powerful  sovereignty  which  youth  and  hand- 
some looks  possess  over  most  minds. 

"  The  signore  starts  early  on  his  expedition,"  Giacomo 
said,  as  he  placed  the  tray  upon  the  table. 

"Rather  early,"  Aylmer  answered,  and  again  he  smiled. 

When  the  old  man  had  gone,  he  drank  his  coffee,  and 
looked  about  to  see  that  he  had  forgotten  nothing.  He 
took  the  letters  he  had  written  and  laid  them  in  his  desk, 
where  they  would  easily  be  found  when  wanted.  He  stood 
for  a  moment  looking  at  the  envelope  which  bore  Violet 
Cameron's  name. 

"She  will  believe  me  when  she  reads  this,"  he  thought. 
"Men  do  not  lie  with  death  staring  them  in  the  face.  She 
will  believe  me — ah,  if  only  she  never  learns  why  I  fought 
this  man  !  I  think  she  never  will.  Sabakine  promised  for 
himself  and  Gherardi  ;  the  Greek  cannot  remain  here,  so 
there  is  little  danger." 

He  laid  the  letter  beside  the  others,  and  closed  the  desk. 
The  clock  struck — the  hour  for  his  rendezvous  with  Saba- 
kine had  arrived,  it  having  been  decided  that  it  would  be 
better  for  the  latter  not  to  come  in  search  of  him. 

He  took  up  his  hat  and  walked  to  the  door — paused  to 
take  one  parting  glance  about  the  familiar  room.  Then  he 
drew  a  photograph  from  his  breast-pocket,  and  stood  gaz- 
ing at  it  with  his  whole  soul  in  his  eyes,  till  a  sudden  rush 
of  memories  momentarily  shook  his  composure,  and  he  cried 
aloud  in  anguish — "  Violet,  Violet  !" 

In  that  portion  of  the  gloomy  old  palace  which  she  had 
chosen  for  her  private  apartments,  Giulia  da  Rimini  was 
already  astir,  arraying  herself  hurriedly — pale  and  stern 
enough  to  have  represented  Nemesis,  save  for  the  lurid 
gleam  in  her  eyes  and  the  triumphant  smile  011  her  mouth, 


WHEN    DAWN   BROKE.  391 

which  deprived  the  face  of  the  passionless  calm  it  should 
have  worn  to  suit  the  comparison. 

Exposed — ruined — foi-ced  to  go  forth  from  Florence, 
where  life  suited  her  so  well;  the  duchess  was  furious  at 
this  necessity,  not  overcome  by  shame.  And  the  entire 
catastrophe  had  been  caused  by  Violet  Cameron  :  she 
brought  the  old  man — she  set  him  to  watch. 

Oh,  amid  all  her  disappointments — \\a\~  cruel  misfor- 
tunes, for  which,  during  the  long  hours  of  the  night,  the 
duchess  had  so  often  cursed  the  saints  whom  perhaps  a 
moment  before  she  had  begged  to  help  her — at  least  one 
consolation  awaited  her — revenge — revenge  upon  that 
haughty,  insolent  woman. 

Laurence  Aylmer  was  to  die  this  morning  ;  had  Fate 
appeared  in  person  to  announce  his  doom,  it  could  not  be 
more  certain.  If  Dimetri  essayed  the  foul,  underhand 
thrust,  failure  was  impossible  ;  and  he  had  sworn  not  to 
spare — he  would  keep  his  oath.  Ay,  she  could  trust  him — 
he  would  have  sacrificed  a  hecatomb  of  human  creatures  in 
his  cruel  remorselessness  to  win  his  guerdon  !  Oh,  if  the 
wretch  who  had  scorned  her  were  only  possessed  of  a  score 
of  lives,  that  she  might  have  them  all  ! 

Revenge — revenge  !  She  was  ahungered  and  athirst 
for  the  sight  of  blood.  She  meant  to  witness  the  duel  ; 
Dimetri  had  no  idea  of  her  intention,  but  see  it  she  would  ; 
her  vengeance  would  be  deprived  of  half  its  savor  if  she 
could  not  watch  her  enemy's  last  gasp. 

After  that,  she  would  by  some  means  force  her  way  into 
Violet  Cameron's  presence,  be  the  one  to  tell  her  that  Ayl- 
mer was  dead — dead  for  her  whom  he  had  loved.  Since 
the  knowledge  could  increase  her  misery,  the  creature 
should  learn  the  full  might  of  his  devotion,  extending  even 
unto  death — to  death — the  very  repetition  of  the  word  was 
music  ! 

Easy  enough  for  the  duchess  to  carry  out  her  plan  with- 
out fear  ;  no  one  would  come  to  her  rooms  until  she  rang — 
for  that  matter,  she  was  past  caring  even  if  her  absence 
were  discovered — and  indeed,  her  personal  attendants  had 
been  too  long  in  her  service  to  indulge  surprise  at  any 
vagary  on  the  part  of  their  mistress.  Her  apartments  com- 
municated with  a  private  staircase  which  led  directly  down 
into  the  neglected  stretch  of  shrubberies,  more  like  a  wood 
than  a  garden,  having  a  door  that  gave  on  a  narrow  street 


392  WHEN    DAWN    BROKE. 

at  the  back  of  the  palace,  and  the  keys  were  always  in  her 
own  possession. 

To  see  the  man  die — watch  his  blood  flow — gloat  from 
her  place  of  concealment  over  his  latest  groans — that  was 
what  she  wanted. 

I  know  how  exaggerated  this  description  sounds  ;  but 
there  are  no  words,  however  wild,  which  would  be  strong 
enough  to  picture  the  state  of  her  mind — her  demoniac 
hatred  of  Violet  Cameron — her  murderous  wrath  against 
the  man  who  had  disdained  her  charms  after  months  of 
crafty  patience  and  unwearied  pursuit  on  her  part. 

Ah,  the  world  was  not  wide  enough  for  him  and  her, 
so  lie  must  die — die  !  She  uttered  the  word  aloud  with  the 
ferocity  wherewith  very  possibly  one  of  her  own  ances- 
tresses had  cried  it  out  when  the  fallen  gladiator  lay 
stretched  on  the  arena  sands,  and  his  victor  waited  to  hear 
the  verdict,  and  the  voices  of  vestals  and  noble  matrons 
checked  with  fierce  imprecations  the  sign  which  some 
emperor  seized  with  sudden  pity  would  have  made. 

And  amid  the  luxurious  gloom  of  her  chamber,  Violet 
Cameron  slept  on  after  the  break  of  day — after  th/e  man 
going  forth  to  death  for  her  sake,  and  the  woman  eager  for 
his  murder,  were  both  astir. 

On  leaving  Mary  she  had  sat  down  in  her  own  room  and 
lost  herself  in  dreary  meditation  ;  then  some  recollection 
of  the  girl  warned  her  that  at  least  she  could  aid  where  the 
future  of  two  human  beings  was  concerned,  whatever  befell 
her  and  the  man  who  had  given  her  his  love — the  man  she 
had  so  deeply  wronged. 

She  wrote  a  long  letter  to  Gilbert  Warner — careful  to 
give  no  hint  which  could  compromise  Mary — only  telling 
him  that  she  had  discovered  his  and  her  own  mistake, 
advising  him  frankly  if  his  happiness  were  so  vitally  con- 
cerned as  he  had  told  her,  to  postpone  his  departure  for 
Greece  until  he  had  taken  time  to  return  to  Florence  and 
learn  his  fate  from  Mary's  own  lips. 

"He  will  understand,"  she  thought;  "he  will  come 
back  at  once — ah,  they  shall  be  happy  !" 

She  inclosed  the  letter  to  the  professor,  requesting  him 
to  forward  it  without  delay,  as  she  did  not  know  Mr.  War- 
ner's address,  and  placed  the  missive  where  Clarice  would 
find  it  when  she  entei'ed  in  the  morning. 

She  went  to  bed  then,  and  at  length  fell  asleep.     She 


WHEN   DAWN    BROKE.  3S3 

dreamed  that  she  was  wandering  through  a  beautiful  gar- 
den with  Laurence  Aylmer.  Every  cloud  had  been  swept 
aside — lie  knew  that  she  loved  him — no  doubt  or  scruple  left 
in  her  own  mind — and  this  haunt  where  they  roved  as  far 
removed  from  the  common  world  as  if  some  enchanted 
sphere  had  opened  to  admit  them  and  their  happiness. 

He  left  her  side  to  pluck  a  flower  she  asked  for — he  did 
not  return.  She  looked  about — he  had  disappeared.  By 
the  tree  where  he  had  been  standing  she  saw  a  serpent 
coiled  upright,  and  as  she  stared  in  fascinated  horror,  she 
perceived  that  the  monster  wore  a  woman's  face — Giulia  da 
Rimini's— and  was  regarding  her  with  that  wicked  smile 
she  knew  so  well. 

She  tried  to  fly,  but  could  not — to  call  Aylmer's  name, 
but  her  lips  refused  to  utter  a  sound.  The  serpent  glided 
upright  down  the  flowery  paths,  still  looking  back  at  her 
with  Gmlia's  smile,  and  she  was  forced  to  follow  its  lead. 

The  way  no  longer  led  through  a  garden,  but  a  dirk 
morass  filled  with  slimy  water,  where  hideous  creeping 
things  clogged  her  feet,  and  human  skulls  grinned  at  her, 
and  ghost-like  figures  circled  about  in  a  spectral  dance  ; 
and  she  had  to  go  on — on — in  the  serpent's  wake — till  sud- 
denly she  heard  a  rush  and  whiz,  and  through  the  din, 
Aylmer's  voice  calling  her  name  in  desperate  agony  : 

"  Violet,  Violet !" 

She  woke — the  vision  so  real  that  she  could  still  hear 
those  accents  of  mortal  anguish. 

Whether  by  some  strange  chance,  whether  in  obedience 
to  some  mysterious  power  held  by  our  souls,  I  do  not 
pretend  to  judge,  but  at  the  instant  she  woke,  Laurence 
Aylmer,  ready  to  leave  his  rooms,  paused  to  look  once  more 
at  her  portrait,  and  as  he  regarded  it  a  sudden  spasm  of 
despair  at  the  thought  that  perhaps  neither  here  nor  here- 
after throughout  the  sweep  of  eternity  should  he  ever  look 
upon  her  face  again,  wrung  from  his  lips  a  cry  of  which  the 
tones  that  roused  her  from  sleep  were  like  an  echo  : 

"Violet,  Violet!" 

She  sprang  out  of  bed  before  she  knew  what  she  was 
doing,  crossed  the  room  to  Mary's  door,  in  the  blind, 
instinctive  search  for  human  companionship  in  her  terrible 
fear.  Then  she  got  her  senses  back — retraced  her  steps — 
reached  the  bed — lay  down — for  a  little  so  faint  and  weak 
that  she  could  not  stir. 
17* 


394  WHEN    DAWN    BROKE. 

Gradually  her  strength  returned.  She  tried  to  argue 
with  herself.  It  was  perfectly  useless.  She  could  not  com- 
pose her  mind.  Could  not  lie  there  alone — she  was  afraid. 

She  rose  again,  opened  the  shutters,  and  let  the  day 
stream  into  the  chamber.  She  seated  herself,  holding  her 
head  between  her  hands.  That  voice  echoed  in  her  ears 
still  ;  when  she  shut  her  eyes,  she  beheld  anew  the  hideous 
shape  which  had  haunted  her  dream — the  serpent  wearing 
Giulia's  smile. 

She  should  certainly  go  mad  if  she  did  not  get  away 
from  that  close  room — out  into  the  free  air.  She  sought 
hastily  for  garments  to  put  on — so  blind  with  pain  that  she 
groped  about  like  a  person  trying  to  find  his  way  through  a 
heavy  mist.  Her  fingers  seemed  turned  to  lead,  and  re- 
fused to  do  her  bidding.  Every  movement  she  made  caused 
a  noise  which  she  fancied  might  waken  Mary,  and  now  she 
shrank  from  companionship,  ardently  as  she  had  longed  for 
it  a  few  moments  since. 

Oh,  she  should  never  be  ready — she  almost  thought  she 
had  wasted  hours  in  the  task — and  each  moment  was  pre- 
cious. She  must  go — go — something  was  awaiting  her — 
some  duty  to  be  performed — what — where  ?  She  knew 
not — but  she  must  go  ! 

She  was  dressed  at  length — had  found  a  hat  and  cloak — 
stared  at  herself  in  the  mirror,  fretted  by  a  dreadful  idea 
that  she  was  crazy,  that  if  she  were  not  very  cautious  some 
disorder  in  attire  or  manner  would  attract  attention  from 
the  people  she  might  meet,  and  she  be  seized,  held  fast, 
hindered  from  achieving  her  task — what  task?  Oh,  this 
fancy  was  more  insane  than  all  the  rest,  but  she  could  not 
subdue  it — she  must  go  forth  and  learn  what  errand  fate 
had  for  her  to  do. 

As  she  opened  the  door  and  stepped  out  into  the  cor- 
ridor, a  certain  composure  came  over  her  :  she  could  reflect 
— argue.  She  had  been  in  a  frenzy,  but  it  had  passed — 
only  the  effect  of  her  terrible  dream.  At  least  she  would 
keep  on  her  way — the  air  would  do  her  good.  She  should 
find  Antonio  stirring  somewhere — he  waa  always  the  first 
up  in  the  house. 

She  met  him  on  the  stairs  :  he  stared  in  wonder  at  her 
appearance  at  such  an  hour — alarmed  too  by  her  pallor. 

"  Antonio,"  she  said,  "I  am  nearly  frantic  with  nervous 
headache — I  must  go  out." 


WHEN    DAWN    BROKE.  395 

"  Into  the  garden,  mademoiselle  ?" 

"  No,  no — it  is  too  close  !  Come  with  me — can  we  find 
a  carriage?  I  will  drive  to  the  Cascine,  and  walk  there." 

She  had  no  thought  of  giving  the  direction  till  she  heard 
the  words  on  her  lips.  This  utterance  without  conscious 
volition  brought  back  that  awful  dread — some  duty  awaited 
her.  Oh,  she  was  mad,  mad  ! 

Antonio  only  bowed  in  response,  and  followed  her  down 
to  the  entrance-hall.  The  sleepy  porter,  in  his  shirt-sleeves, 
was  just  opening  the  outer  doors  :  he  caught  sight  of  his 
mistress,  and  fled  in  search  of  a  jacket,  too  much  occupied 
with  the  fact  of  having  been  surprised  by  his  lady  in  a  garb 
so  unorthodox,  even  to  marvel  what  could  have  roused  her 
at  this  unholy  hour.  But  Antonio,  always  prudent,  would 
leave  no  loophole  for  astonishment  or  possible  gossip. 

"The  signora  has  a  headache,"  he  said  softly,  as  the 
porter  returned  and  began  fumbling  at  the  locks.  "  The 
doctor  orders  early  walks  when  she  suffers  so — she  is  going 
out." 

The  doors  swing  back — Violet  drew  her  vail  over  her 
face,  and  passed  into  the  street.  The  cabs  were  just  taking 
their  station  on  the  stand  at  the  corner  :  Antonio  helped 
her  into  a  covered  hack,  mounted  the  box,  and  they  drove 
away. 

The  guardian  seated  at  the  carriage  entrance  of  the  Cas- 
cine had  already  seen  two  vehicles  go  by.  Had  the  early 
hour  roused  any  suspicion  in  his  mind  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  inquire  into  the  matter,  or  give  information  to  the 
mounted  patrol  when  those  officials  should  make  their  tardy 
appearance,  the  doubt  would  have  been  dispelled  by  the 
fact  that  in  this  carriage,  as  well  as  the  second  of  the  for- 
mer ones,  a  lady  sat.  The  guardian  might  have  his  own 
ideas  that  a  fancy  for  such  early  driving  on  the  part  of  two 
gentlemen  and  a  brace  of  ladies  was,  to  say  the  least,  a 
singular  coincidence,  but  of  course  no  business  of  his. 

To  avoid  all  possibility  of  attracting  undue  attention 
from  this  personage,  it  had  been  arranged  that  Sabakine 
and  Aylmer,  carrying  the  necessary  weapons  with  them, 
should  enter  the  Cascine  by  this  route,  while  Gherardi  and 
his  principal,  accompanied  by  the  surgeon,  made  their  way 
into  the  wood  across  the  suspension  bridge  higher  up,  and 
beyond  the  view  of  the  guard  at  the  gates. 

When  the  cab  reached  the  open  space  where  the  great 


396  WHEN    DAWN    BROKE. 

cafe  stands,  Violet  could  no  longer  bear  the  restraint  of  in- 
action. She  pulled  down  the  glass,  and  ordered  the  coach- 
man to  stop. 

"  Wait  for  me  here,"  she  said  to  Antonio,  as  he  assisted 
her  to  alight  ;  "  I  will  walk  through  the  meadow.  I  shall 
not  meet  a  creature  so  early  as  this." 

Again  Antonio  bowed  in  acquiescence.  He  saw  that  she 
was  suffering  terribly  from  some  cause.  It  might  be  physi- 
cal, as  she  had  declared,  though  of  that  the  shrewd  Swiss 
had  his  doubts,  and  out  of  the  profundity  of  his  unerring 
tact  forbore  to  annoy  her  even  by  the  sound  of  his  voice. 

Violet  crossed  the  square,  and  entered  the  pretty  green 
field  which  stretches  for  a  considerable  distance  along  the 
middle  of  the  Cascine.  To  the  right,  the  shining  sweep  of 
blue  hills  was  visible  above  the  trees  ;  at  the  left  spread  a 
wide,  dense  thicket,  beyond  which  wound  the  road  and  the 
river,  whereof  she  caught  occasional  glimpses  as  she  passed 
paths  cut  through  the  dense  shrubberies. 

She  hurried  on,  consumed  by  the  same  wild  impatience 
— the  feeling  that  something  called  her,  that  she  must  attain 
some  goal  :  each  moment  more  important  than  hours,  days 
of  ordinary  life — delay  fraught  with  peril,  though  to  whom 
she  knew  not — and  utterly  unable  to  combat  the  sensation 
by  any  argument. 

She  reached  the  end  of  the  meadow,  and  gained  a  nar- 
row alley  so  shut  in  among  the  trees  and  bushes  that  she 
seemed  in  the  heart  of  a  great  forest.  It  was  gloomy  and 
dark  here.  Not  a  sound  broke  the  stillness,  not  even  the 
singing  of  an  early  bird.  The  hush  became  oppressive. 
She  would  make  her  way  through  the  thicket,  and  come 
out  on  the  bank  of  the  Arno  ;  at  least  she  should  have 
broad  daylight  there,  and  the  voice  of  the  water  to  break 
this  terrible  silence. 

She  turned  aside  into  the  bosquet,  too  impatient  to  wait 
till  she  arrived  at  one  of  the  paths  which  crossed  it.  The 
bushes  and  long  vines  trailing  down  from  the  trees  caught 
at  her  dress,  reminding  her  of  the  horror  of  her  dream. 
The  ground  grew  damp  and  sodden,  like  the  morass  she 
had  journeyed  over  in  that  fearful  vision.  Once  a  tiny 
snake  started  up  just  at  her  feet,  and  glided  away  with  a 
sharp  hiss  into  its  covert. 

The  horror  of  her  nightmare  came  back  with  such  force 
that  she  groaned  aloud,  for  an  instant  frightened  by  her 


WHEN    DAWN    BROKE.  397 

own  voice,  thinking  it  another's.  She  plunged  recklessly 
on.  The  brambles  tore  her  hands  and  her  garments. 
They  seemed  trying  to  hold  her  back.  With  every  step 
tlie  likeness  to  her  journey  in  her  dream  grew  stronger. 
Oh,  if  it  lasted  only  a  few  minutes  longer  she  should  go 
wholly  mad  ! 

She  was  coming  out.  She  caught  glimpses  of  a  little 
cleared  space  through  the  branches.  At  the  same  moment 
a  sound  struck  her  ear.  O  God,  what  was  it?  The  click 
of  steel  striking  against  steel  ! 

She  halted.  It  must  be  a  delusion.  Sho  was  mad — 
mad!  Some  living  creature  was  near.  She  heard  a  quick, 
gasping  breath.  Before  she  could  turn  her  head,  she  felt 
two  arms  close  round  her  like  an  iron  band.  Then  a  hand 
forced  both  her  hands  behind  her  back,  furious  fingers 
clutched  at  her  throat,  dragged  her  head  upward.  Giulia 
da  Rimini's  eyes  were  blazing  into  hers,  that  awful  smile — 
oh,  the  exact  smile  the  serpent  had  worn  ! — parting  her 
bloodless  lips. 

For  a  few  seconds  Violet  struggled  wildly  in  her  cap- 
tor's hold,  almost  suffocated  by  the  pressure  upon  her 
throat. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  murder  me?"  she  gasped  in  a  hoarse 
whisper,  articulating  with  great  difficulty  even  in  that 
strangled  tone. 

The  duchess  stooped  to  bring  her  mouth  close  to  Vio- 
let's ear,  and  hissed  slowly  out — oh,  the  very  hiss  of  the 
serpent  in  her  dream  ! — 

"  Better  than  that.  I  mean  you  to  see  him  killed  !  Do 
you  hear  ? — to  see  him  killed  !" 

Completely  unnerved  before  in  mind  and  body,  Violet 
grew  so  sick  and  faint  that  she  was  utterly  powerless  in  the 
woman's  hold.  At  no  time  would  she  have  been  a  match 
for  her  tormentor,  but  now  she  could  not  even  struggle  in 
that  boa-like  grasp  ;  and  the  relentless  fingers  clutched  still 
tighter  at  her  throat,  rendering  speech  impossible. 

The  woman  dragged  her  on  a  few  paces,  pushed  her 
yhead  forward,  and  hissed  again  : 

"  Look  !  look  !" 

Through  a  red  haze  Violet  saw  two  men  standing  at  the 
farther  end  of  the  cleared  space,  a  sword  in  the  hand  of 
each — flashing,  waving,  thrusting,  like  tongues  of  flame 
before  her  eyes,  the  click  and  ring  of  the  metal  smiting  her 


3J8  WHEN    DAWN    BROKE. 

ears  like  a  bell.  She  beheld  the  faces  of  the  pair  ;  she  was 
watching  Laurence  Aylmer  and  the  Greek  in  their  deadly 
contest. 

She  could  not  have  cried  out  now  ev«?n  if  the  pressure 
on  her  throat  had  relaxed  sufficiently  to  permit ;  her  head 
sank  back  against  the  woman's  shoulder  ;  again  she  felt 
that  burning  breath  fan  her  cheek  ;  again  she  heard  that 
dreadful  voice — oh,  always  the  serpent's  hiss,  though 
endowed  with  human  speech  ! — 

"  He  loved  you  ;  you  shall  see  him  die  !  Wait  only  a 
little  ;  it  will  come.  Dimetri  has  a  secret  that  never  fails  ! 
This  is  my  revenge  ;  he  dies,  you  must  live  ;  and  you  love 
him — you  love  him  !" 

The  purgatorial  agony  of  her  soul  roused  a  spasm  of 
physical  vitality  in  Violet  ;  she  fought  fiercely  to  free  her- 
self, to  cry  out — in  vain.  She  was  helpless  as  if  the  pres- 
ent torture  of  body  and  mind  had  been  a  part  of  that  terri- 
ble dream. 

Always  the  flash  of  the  swords  blinding  her  eyes  ;  their 
scrape  and  rattle  cutting  her  ears,  and  the  duchess's  voice 
muttering  maledictions  to  that  accompaniment. 

"  Accursed  !  I  know  what  will  hurt  you  most  !"  the 
woman  chanted,  staring  eagerly  out  at  the  combat  while 
she  spoke.  "  He  loved  you  !  he  told  me  so — do  you  hear, 
devil  ?  he  loved  you  !  I'd  let  another  woman  think  he 
loved  me,  but  the  truth  will  hurt  you  most  :  he  loved  you, 
he  loved  you  !" 

Clash — scrape — rattle  :  the  lightning-like  thrusts  given 
and  parried  before  her  eyes,  and  that  voice  in  her  ear. 

"  I  tried  to  win  him  ;  no  use  !  I  got  to  hate  him  ;  then 
he  told  me  of  his  love  for  you — you  ;  that  was  his  death- 
warrant  !  You  hear,  you  see,  you  suffer,  and  I  am  glad — 
glad  !  Ah,  at  last  ;  no,  not  yet !  Oh,  Dimetri,  quick, 
quick  !  I  am  tired  of  waiting  !" 

And,  as  if  in  obedience  to  her  whispered  words,  the 
Greek  stepped  back  ;  Ayhner  advanced  a  pace,  parried  a 
feigned  thrust,  and  on  the  instant  his  antagonist's  blade 
entered  his  chest,  high  up  to  the  right. 

Aylmer  wavered  back  and  forth  thrice,  tottered  slowly 
forward,  and  remained  motionless  for  the  briefest  possible 
space  of  a  second.  Then  rapidly  body  and  limbs  huddled 
together,  and  he  lay  in  a  heap  on  the  ground,  his  left  arm 


WHEN    DAWN    BROKE.  399 

falling  slightly  outward,  so  that  his  head  rested  upon  it, 
his  face  turned  towards  Violet  as  she  stood. 

"  Dead  !"  she  heard  a  voice  exclaim  ;  it  was  Sabakine's. 

"Dead  !"  the  duchess  echoed  in  her  ear.  "You  killed 
him,  remember  !  He  fought  on  your  account  ;  he  died  be- 
lieving you  Carlo's  mistress  !  I  have  my  revenge  every 
way  ;  he  is  dead,  and  you  are  his  murderess  !" 

She  released  her  hold  with  such  suddenness  that  Violet 
fell  backward,  and  rushed  away  through  the  wood.  In  an- 
other instant,  almost  as  soon  as  Sabakine  and  the  surgeon 
could  reach  the  prostrate  form,  they  were  startled  by  a 
rush  like  the  wings  of  a  great  bird,  and  Violet  Cameron 
swept  between  them,  sank  upon  the  earth,  and  lifted  Ayl- 
mer's  head  to  her  knees,  muttering  :  "  He  is  dead,  and'  I 
killed  him !" 

Not  a  word  was  spoken  by  the  by-standers  ;  Sabakine 
made  a  warning  sign  to  the  surgeon,  then  knelt  behind 
Violet,  and  put  his  arm  about  her  waist  to  support  her  as 
she  crouched  holding  that  ghastly  head. 

Even  in  his  haste,  the  Greek,  while  putting  on  coat  and 
hat,  could  not  resist  glancing  at  Violet's  face  ;  its  rigid 
horror  struck  a  chill  even  through  his  veins.  He  whispered 
a  few  syllables  to  Gherardi,  who  replied  by  a  nod,  and  hur- 
ried off  in  accordance  with  the  programme  laid  down  in  ad- 
vance for  the  survivor,  because  seconds  as  well  as  princi- 
pals had  understood  when  they  set  out  upon  their  morning's 
work,  that  both  men  would  not  leave  the  place  alive. 

The  surgeon  opened  the  shirt,  through  which  a  small 
stream  of  blood  oozed,  staining  Violet's  hands  and  garments 
as  it  fell.  He  performed  his  task  in  silence,  waited  a  little, 
and  said  :  "  He  breathes  still." 

Nobody  answered. 

Sabakine  drew  a  dog-whistle  from  his  pocket,  and 
handed  it  to  Gherardi,  motioning  him  to  blow  it  ;  he  obeyed, 
and  in  answer  to  the  shrill  summons,  Sabakine's  carriage 
drove  up  ;  two  Russian  servants  whom  he  could  trust  seat- 
ed upon  the  box. 

Only  when  they  were  lifting  the  body  did  Violet  speak. 

"  To  my  house,"  she  said  ;  "  to  rny  house." 

Sabakine  was  about  to  attempt  some  expostulation  ;  she 
raised  herself  and  turned  towards  him  ;  the  words  died  on 
his  lips  when  he  looked  in  her  face.  She  followed  as  the 
men  carried  their  burden  to  the  carriage. 


400  AFTER    ALL. 

"  Let  me  go  with  him  ;  I  will  go  !"  slie  said. 

They  helped  her  in  ;  the  surgeon  got  in  too.  They  laid 
the  body  down  as  best  they  could.  Once  more  Laurence's 
head  rested  on  Violet's  shoulder,  as  it  had  done  during  that 
first  drive,  when  he  had  dared  death  for  her  sake.  Even  in 
this  moment  the  recollection  shot  through  her  mind.  Ah, 
this  journey  would  have  a  different  ending — the  grave  was 
its  goal. 

"The  swords!"  whispered  Gherardi. 

Sabakine  picked  them  up,  and  hid  them  under  a  seat 
of  the  carriage.  The  vehicle  drove  off  ;  for  a  few  seconds 
the  two  men  left  behind  stood  staring  at  each  other  with 
horrified  eyes,  then  silently  began  the  work  which  re- 
mained :  covered  the  blood  with  sand — carefully  removed 
every  trace  of  footsteps — scattered  twigs  and  leaves 
about — then  hurried  away,  silent  still. 

As  they  passed  through  the  meadow,  they  met  Antonio, 
who,  disquieted  by  his  mistress's  long  absence,  had  sent  the 
carriage  up  the  road,  and  come  in  search  of  her. 

"  Miss  Cameron  has  gone  home  in  my  carriage,"  Saba- 
kine explained.  "There  has  been  an  accident.  Mr.  Ayl- 
mer  is  hurt.  Not  a  word  to  anybody  at  present — you  know 
how  to  hold  your  tongue.  Where  is  the  hack  ?" 

Antonio  pointed  to  the  road. 

"  I  saw  the  Duchess  da  Rimini  and  the  Greek  drive  off 
together,"  was  all  he  said. 

"  My  God  !"  the  two  men  muttered  simultaneously. 

Once  the  surgeon  saw  Violet's  lips  move  ;  he  thought 
she  was  trying  to  ask  some  question,  and  bent  his  head  to 
listen,  but  she  was  only  whispering  : 

"  He  is  dead  !  arid  I  killed  him  !" 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

AFTER  ALL. 

OR  three  days  Laurence  Aylmer  lay  speechless, 
almost  motionless,  on  his  bed  in  the  very  room 
where  so  few  months  previous  he  had  fought 
his  way  back  to  life  :  now,  as  then,  Violet  Cam- 
eron told  herself  over  and  over,  brought  face 


to  face  with  death  through  her  agency. 


AFTER    ALL.  401 

No  matter  that,  nearly  frantic  as  she  was,  reason  re- 
fused to  admit  the  possibility  of  considering  her  share  in 
either  catastrophe  other  than  her  misfortune  ;  the  fact  re- 
mained that  she  had  been  the  cause  of  both. 

This  time  there  was  no  hope  ;  even  when  the  professor 
himself  told  her  that  life  still  lingered,  that  perhaps  for 
several  days  no  human  power  could  predict  as  to  the  final 
results,  her  faculties  stayed  shut  against  the  contemplation 
of  any  possible  chance  as  completely  as  in  that  first  moment 
of  horror  when  she  knelt  by  what  she  believed  his  dead 
body. 

No  one — not  Miss  Bronson  herself — dreamed  of  ques- 
tioning or  expostulating,  whatever  Violet  might  do. 
Everybody  about,  beginning  with  the  professor,  obeyed  her 
slightest  wish  unhesitatingly.  He  had  warned  the  house- 
hold that  he  could  not  answer  for  the  consequences  if  she 
were  thwarted  in  any  way. 

She  looked  like  a  dead  woman,  save  for  the  maddened 
misery  of  her  eyes,  where  life  showed  its  strength  in  the 
unutterable  agony  they  revealed.  She  scarcely  left  the 
bedside  either  day  or  night.  Whenever  she  moved, 
Aylmer's  glance  would  follow  her,  while  across  the  haze 
that  dulled  it  crept  an  expression  of  trouble  ;  and  though 
deaf  to  every  other  sound,  her  voice  never  failed  to  reach 
his  ear  ;  beyond  this,  for  hours  and  hours,  he  evinced 
scarcely  any  sign  of  vitality,  save  in  the  labored,  irregular 
breathing — even  that  grew  so  faint  sometimes  they  had  to 
listen  attentively  to  catch  it. 

The  professor  explained  that  the  wound  had  occasioned 
pneumonia — of  course,  much  more  perilous  than  if  the 
inflammation  of  the  lung  had  been  produced  by  the 
ordinary  cause,  a  cold  or  sudden  chill. 

He  said  this,  and  he  said  no  more  ;  but  the  other 
physician  deemed  it  his  duty  to  reply  frankly  to  Violet's 
questions  :  he  could  hold  out  no  hope — humanly  speaking, 
there  was  none.  The  professor  did  not  chide  his  colleague, 
and  this  tacit  concurrence  in  his  verdict  crushed  the  little 
group  of  attendant  friends  so  utterly  that  they  were  power- 
less to  try  by  word  or  look  to  comfort  or  encourage 
Violet. 

Carlo  and  Nina  were  there  ;  Sabakine  scarcely  quitted 
the  houso,  though  there  was  little  for  anybody  to  do 
except  watch — watch — count  the  hours,  remembering  that 


402  AFTER    ALL. 

each  brought  the  end  nearer.  Sometimes  there  was  one 
duty  to  perform  ;  when  the  sufferer's  pillows  had  to  be 
raised  a  little  and  supported  by  some  person  seated  on  the 
bed.  Violet  was  obliged  to  relinquish  this  task  to  the 
others.  Aylmer  lay  always  with  his  eyes  fastened  on  her 
face  ;  usually  they  betrayed  no  sign  of  recognition,  but  if 
she  stirred  they  wandered  in  troubled  search  of  her 
presence. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  Carlo  and  Sabakine 
went  to  Aylmer's  lodgings  to  pack  up  and  bring  away  his 
possessions  ;  it  would  be  easier  now  than  later,  when — when 
it  was  all  over. 

They  knew  that  the  wildest  rumors  were  afloat  in  Flor- 
ence, but  the  facts  concerning  the  duel  were  not  known. 
It  was  declared  by  many  that  Giuliada  Rimini  had  tried  to 
murder  Aylmer — that  he  had  shot  himself  in  despair  caused 
by  losses  at  cards  and  his  failure  to  secure  Miss  Cameron's 
fortune — that  the  Greek  had  assassinated  him  and  eloped 
with  the  duchess.  Of  course  each  tale  was  contradicted  in 
turn,  and  some  new  one  invented  to  take  its  place. 

Fortunately  for  Madame  da  Rimini,  it  became  certain 
that  the  duke  was  very  ill  in  Paris,  so  the  letters  she  had 
written  to  several  friends  before  her  departure,  announcing 
that  she  had  been  called  to  his  bedside,  received  a  share  of 
credence  ;  though  that  something  very  dreadful  had  hap- 
pened at  Lady  Harcourt's  house  was  already  established, 
and  so  many  tales  in  regard  to  borrowed  moneys,  defrauded 
tradesmen,  and  the  like,  speedily  followed,  that  the  duchess's 
ostracism  was  almost  as  complete  as  if  the  truth  had  been 
openly  declared. 

While  Sabakine  and  the  marchese  were  performing 
their  mournful  duty,  with  the  aid  of  poor  old  Giacomo, 
they  opened  a  writing-desk  to  lay  in  some  papers,  and  found 
the  letters  Aylmer  had  written  on  the  night  before  the  duel. 
Among  these  epistles  was  one  for  the  professor,  and  another 
which  bore  Miss  Cameron's  name. 

There  was  no  opportunity  to  place  these  letters  in  the 
professor's  hands  until  evening.  A  change  had  taken  place 
in  Aylmer's  condition — he  was  conscious — able  to  speak  a 
little.  The  doctors  said  that  by  the  next  day  he  would  be 
perfectly  clear  in  his  mind — able,  indeed,  to  answer  ques- 
tions concerning  his  affairs,  and  transact  any  business,  such 
as  the  making  of  a  will,  which  might  seem  necessary.  Sab- 


AFTER    ALL.  403 

akine  had  demanded  if  tins  would  be  the  case,  as  he  knew 
from  his  last  conversation  with  Aylmer  that  he  regretted 
not  having  leisure  to  alter  the  testament  which  he  had  ex- 
ecuted before  leaving  America. 

During  the  night,  while  Aylmer  slept  and  Violet  sat  by 
his  side,  the  professor,  who  shared  her  vigil,  read  the  letter 
addressed  to  himself,  and  at  length,  after  a  good  deal  of  re- 
flection, he  handed  Violet  hers,  telling  her  in  a  few  words 
where  it  had  been  found. 

"It  was  better  to  give  it  to  you  now,  my  dear,"  he  said, 
laying  his  hand  softly  on  her  head  as  he  might  have 
caressed  a  child,  while  his  rugged  features  worked  with 
emotion.  "  He  may  make  some  allusion  to  its  contents, 
whatever  they  are,  and  it  would  fret  him  if  you  failed 
to  understand.  I  will  sit  by  the  bed  while  you  read  it. 
You  need  not  be  afraid — he  is  sound  asleep,  and  will  not 
wake  for  some  time  yet." 

Violet  moved  to  the  other  end  of  the  room,  and,  sat 
down  close  to  the  shaded  lamp  which  cast  a  faint  glow 
through  the  chamber.  She  opened  the  letter  ;  it  was  like 
reading  a  message  from  the  dead.  Once  she  glanced  at  the 
face  upon  the  pillows — its  death-like  stillness  only  increased 
the  feeling. 

"  You  will  believe  me  when  you  read  this — in  thought, 
word  and  deed  I  have  been  true.  I  loved  you  from  the  first 
moment  of  our  meeting;  I  shall  go  into  eternity  with  that 
love  in  my  soul,  eternal  as  the  soul  itself. 

"  Never  grieve  for  me  !  If  you  love  me  I  shall  know  it. 
Think  of  me  as  near  you  always.  My  darling,  my  one 
love,  farewell  !" 

Presently,  looking  across  the  dimness  of  the  chamber, 
the  professor  saw  Violet  sink  slowly  upon  her  knees  ;  he 
bowed  his  head  reverently,  and  turned  his  eyes  away. 

Perhaps  half  an  hour  afterwards,  Violet  was  roused 
from  her  wordless  prayer  by  the  professor's  whispering  : 

"  He  is  waking,  my  child." 

She  started  up  and  hastened  towards  the  bed.  Aylmer 
opened  his  eyes,  looked  eagerly  about,  and  cried  : 

"Violet,  Violet!" 

"  I  am  here,"  she  answered  ;  "Laurence,  I  am  hore." 

The  professor  rose  and  placed  her  gently  in  the  chair, 
saying  in  her  ear  : 


404  AFTER    ALL. 

"Soothe  him — quiet  him — whatever  he  asks  or  says. 
He  will  be  perfectly  clear  in  his  mind  now." 

Then  he  stole  softly  away  into  the  adjoining  room,  and 
left  the  pair  together. 

"  Violet,  Violet  !"  Aylmer  repeated. 

"Yes,  Laurence,"  she  said,  steadily. 

He  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  at  her  with  a  beautiful 
smile. 

"  I  knew  you  were  here,"  he  murmured  ;  "  even  when  I 
seemed  quite  unconscious,  I  always  knew  it." 

"  Yes,  Laurence,"  she  said  again. 

"  My  head  is.  quite  clear  now,"  he  continued  ;  "  oh,  I 
wanted  so  much  to  tell  you  awhile  ago,  but  I  could  not.  I 
thought  I  should  have  to  go  out  of  the  world  without  even 
being  able  to  speak  your  name  again — Violet,  my  Violet  ! 
Ah,  I  know  you  must  understand — you  must  believe  me 
now  !  I  wrote — I  remember  writing — they  will  give  you 
my  letter  later." 

"  I  have  read  it,"  she  said.  "  Do  you  hear — can  you 
listen  ?" 

He  put  out  his  hand  feebly  :  she  bent  her  forehead  up- 
on it  as  it  rested  on  the  edge  of  the  bed. 

"  I  love  you,"  she  said,  in  a  slow,  clear  voice  ;  "  I  have 
loved  you  all  the  time — can  you  believe  me  ?" 

He  gazed  up  into  her  face  with  eyes  fairly  superhuman 
in  their  tenderness. 

"Say  it  once  more,"  he  whispered. 

"  I  love  you,  Laurence — I  love  you  !" 

He  drew  a  long,  deep  breath,  and  his  head,  which  he 
had  partially  lifted,  sank  back  on  the  pillow — his  eyes 
closed. 

"  Kiss  me,"  he  murmured. 

She  pressed  her  lips  on  his  in  a  long,  fervent  caress. 
Then  there  was  silence  between  them  for  a  few  moments  ; 
when  she  saw  that  he  was  looking  at  her  again,  that  trans- 
cendent peace  and  happiness  glorifying  his  eyes  still,  she 
said  softly  : 

"I  only  thought  of  you,  Laurence — try  to  believe  that. 
I  was  older  than  you — I  feared  to  yield  to  the  dictates  of 
my  heart — afraid  it  would  be  a  wrong  to  you  !  That  was 
the  only  reason  why  I  hesitated.  For  myself,  I  should 
have  been  prouder  to  hear  you  call  me  wife  than  to  have 
been  crowned  queen  of  the  whole  world  !" 


AFTER    ALL.  405 

"Is  it  too  late  ?"  he  asked.  "  Ah,  yes — too  late  for  this 
world — and  yet — and  yet !  Oh,  my  darling,  if  you  could  !" 

He  stretched  out  his  hands  feebly — clasped  them  about 
her  neck,  and  her  cheek  rested  on  his  bosom. 

"  Is  it  wrong  to  ask  it  V"  he  questioned.  "Would  it 
make  it  all  harder  for  you  ?  Ah,  love,  I  could  go  away  not 
venturing  to  murmur,  if  only  I  might  call  you  my  wife 
once  here.  I  could  wait  for  you  then — I  could  be  patient." 

"  Ask  me  anything,"  she  answered,  in  a  voice  that  was 
like  a  strain  of  heavenly  music,  so  free  from  agitation  did 
it  sound.  In  this  moment  her  soul  was  lifted  too  far  above 
earth  for  any  human  weakness  to  disturb  it.  "  Ask  me 
anything — I  will  not  refuse." 

lie  uttered  a  low,  inarticulate  cry,  so  full  of  joy  that  it 
sounded  like  the  utterance  of  some  seraphic  tongue  already 
grown  his  own. 

"  My  wife,"  he  said  presently  ;  "  you  will  be  my  wife?" 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  wish,"  she  murmured  ;  "  your 
wife,  Laurence — your  wife  !" 

And  again  their  lips  met — again  that  eloquent  silence 
followed.  Then  she  said  suddenly  :  "  You  have  for- 
given  " 

"  Hush  !"  he  interrupted  ;  "  between  you  and  me,  love, 
there  could  be  nothing  to  forgive." 

A  wave  from  the  sea  of  her  mortal  trouble  which  had 
been  for  a  moment  swept  back,  cast  its  bitter  stretch  across 
her  soul. 

"  Oh,  my  heart,  that  I  could  doubt  you  !"  she  moaned. 

"  Under  all  you  never  did  !"  he  answered.  "  forget 
that — it  was  only  a  painful  dream — we  are  awake  now  ! 
Oh,  my  darling,  happiness  has  nothing  to  do  with  time  ! 
Give  me  heaven  here  on  my  death-bed — my  wife — my 
wife  !" 

"  Your  wife  !"  she  echoed. 

"  To-morrow  ?    Oh,  remember,  every  hour  is  precious  !" 

" To-morrow,"  she  whispered  ;  "if  the  doctor  consents, 
to-morrow." 

"  Where  is  he  ?"  Aylmer  asked. 

Violet  called  his  name.  The  professor  appeared  at  the 
summons,  came  up  to  the  bed,  and  stood  over  them. 

"  This  is  my  wife,"  Aylmer  said,  drawing  VioletV  !iead 
closer  to  his  breast.  "  You  will  not  oppose  a  dying  man — 
to-morrow,  dear  old  friend  ?" 


406  AFTER    ALL. 

"  To-morrow,"  the  professor  responded,  and  would  have 
added  other  words,  but  his  voice  broke.  He  hurried  back 
into  the  adjoining  chamber,  and  cried  like  a  child  amid  its 
solitude. 

"  This  is  worth  years  and  years  of  ordinary  life,  love," 
Aylmer  said.  "  Hold  my  hand — lay  your  dear  face  on  the 
pillow — let  me  sleep  now." 

He  slept  again.  After  a  time  the  professor  looked  into 
the  room  ;  worn  out  with  fatigue,  Violet  slept  too,  her 
head  resting  close  to  her  lover's — even  in  slumber  their 
faces  turned  towards  one  another. 

The  next  day  came.  Aylmer's  strength  held  out  ;  his 
mind  remained  as  clear  as  at  the  most  healthful  moment  of 
his  life. 

When  the  little  group  of  friends  were  collected  that 
morning,  waiting  till  the  professor  or  Violet  should  appear 
to  give  them  news  of  the  past  night,  the  door  opened,  and 
Violet  entered. 

There  was  something  so  solemn,  so  holy  in  her  face, 
that  not  one  of  those  eager  watchers  could  speak.  The 
same  thought  struck  each  simultaneously — she  had  come 
to  tell  them  there  was  no  Laurence  Aylmer  any  longer  in 
the  world.  But  as  she  drew  near,  she  paused  and  said 
calmly  : 

"  We  are  to  be  married  at  noon — I  came  to  tell  you." 

The  reaction  in  their  minds  was  so  sudden  that  nobody 
was  able  to  answer.  They  kissed  her  one  after  another,  and 
let  her  go  away  in  silence.  When  the  door  closed,  the 
three  women  began  to  weep  softly.  Sabakine  sat  with  his 
face  hidden  in  his  hands — Carlo  was  sobbing  without  any 
effort  to  hide  his  tears. 

Noon  came.  They  gathered  in  the  room  where  the 
wounded  man  lay  :  a  temporary  altar  and  odorous  flowers 
made  it  like  a  chapel.  Then  the  professor  led  Violet  in  : 
she  was  dressed  in  white  from  head  to  foot  ;  so  pale,  so 
composed,  so  beautiful,  that  she  looked  rather  like  a  spirit 
sent  to  summon  the  sufferer  than  an  earthly  bride. 

The  ceremony  was  performed  ;  after  a  little  they  all 
stole  out  and  left  the  husband  and  wife  together. 

"  I  can  bear  even  the  parting  now,"  Laurence  whispered  ; 
"  God  has  been  so  good  to  me  that  I  dare  not  murmur." 

The  day  passed — evening  drew  on. 

A  change  came  over  Aylmer ;  his  temporary  strength 


AFTER    ALL.  407 

failed  ;  a  coldness  and  faintness  like  the  chill  of  death 
seized  his  faculties.  As  long  as  he  could  articulate,  words 
of  comfort  and  tenderness  kept  Violet's  soul  anchored  and 
still. 

"  Lift  me  up,"  he  called  suddenly  ;  "  wife,  wife  !" 

The  words  died  on  his  lips — his  breathing  grew  fainter 
— his  head  drooped  upon  her  bosom.  Then  a  merciful  in- 
sensibility seized  Violet,  and  she  knew  no  more. 

When  she  woke  to  consciousness,  she  comprehended 
that  her  mind  had  for  days  and  days  been  struggling  amid 
the  delirium  of  fever.  Memory  came  abruptly  back — she 
recollected  everything. 

"  If  his  soul  might  only  send  me  some  sign  !"  she  mur- 
mured, half  aloud. 

She  heard  his  voice  call  in  answer  : 

''  Violet,  Violet — my  wife  !" 

She  lifted  her  eyes,  and  saw  him  seated  by  her  bed. 

"  Am  I  dead  too  ?"  she  whispered. 

Then  she  heard  his  voice  again  : 

"Not  death,  but  life,  love.  God  has  given  us  our 
heaven  here." 

******* 

A  gorgeous  September  morning  lighted  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  passes  in  the  Apennines  brightened  a  picturesque 
villa,  embowered  in  forest  trees,  and  commanding  a  view 
for  miles  and  miles  of  the  valleys  below — oh,  lovely  almost, 
one  would  think,  as  the  blessed  land  that  Moses's  prophet- 
vision  watched  from  the  height  of  Pisgah  ! 

The  old  chapel  attached  to  the  dwelling  was  gay  with 
flowers  ;  the  little  knot  of  friends  whom  I  have  so  fre- 
quently described  together  were  collected  there  ;  and,  amid 
the  beauty  of  the  morning,  Mary  Danvers  and  Gilbert 
Warner  were  made  husband  and  wife. 

"Miss  Bronson,"  said  the  professor,  as  the  carriage 
which  held  the  young  pair  drove  away,  "this  day  decides 
me.  I  am  ready  to  become  your  legal  victim  whenever  you 
choose." 

And  the  spinster  was  in  a  mood  so  joyous  that,  instead 
of  resenting  his  irreverent  jest,  she  laughed  as  heartily  as 
the  others. 

"  Carlo  looks  as  if  it  was  rather  nice  to  be  a  victim," 
said  Sabakine. 


408  AFTER    ALL. 

The  marchese  only  answered  by  drawing  his  little  wife 
closer,  as  she  stood  with  her  hand  upon  his  arm.  These 
past  weeks  had  brought  such  a  world  of  new  hopes  and 
aims,  that  life  for  both  had  drifted  into  a  sunshine  higher 
and  purer  than  that  which  had  lighted  the  old  paths. 

"  Sabakine,"  said  Lady  Harcourt,  "  the  sight  of  all  this 
bliss  is  oertain  before  long  to  tempt  you  into  matrimony 
also  !  Really,  I  think  nothing  remains  for  an  old  fairy  like 
me  but  to  pronounce  a  general  benediction,  and  disappear 
in  an  ivory  chariot  drawn  by  winged  lions.  I  must  wait 
though,  for  I  see  that  Violet  and  her  Laurence  have  already 
vanished." 

They  talked  merry  nonsense  for  awhile  ;  then  Lady 
Harcourt,  who  had  halted  at  the  villa  on  her  journey  back 
from  Paris,  began  giving  the  details  of  a  tragic  story  which 
the  friends  had  seen  briefly  chronicled  in  the  journals  of 
the  day. 

Giulia  da  Rimini,  betrayed  to  her  husband  by  Dimetri, 
had  been  publicly  expelled  from  his  house.  The  Greek  had 
robbed  her  of  her  last  resources  in  money  and  jewels,  and 
she  was  forced  to  take  refuge  in  some  dismal  lodgings  kept 
by  a  former  servant,  who  possessed  humanity  enough  to 
grant  her  an  asylum. 

She  was  found  dead  in  her  room  the  morning  after  her 
arrival — a  bottle  of  laudanum  by  her  side — the  pathetic 
smile  which  in  life  sometimes  softened  her  stern  beauty  still 
mantling  her  lips. 

And  while  the  visitors  sat  together,  the  husband  and 
wife  were  wandering,  arm-in-arm,  along  the  garden  paths. 

"  You  are  sure,  sure  ?"  Violet  asked,  looking  up  into 
Aylmer's  face  with  eyes  which  answered  her  own  question, 
for  their  radiant  happiness  proved  that  now  and  then 
heaven's  choicest  boon — perfect  peace  and  rest — is  granted 
to  mortals  on  earth. 

"My  love — my  own  !"  he  whispered.  " Our  souls  have 
been  away  down  to  the  gates  of  death  together — here  and 
hereafter  they  are  one." 


THE    END. 


